The Martin Triplets
by MorbidMaestro
Summary: Zack and Cody always knew that they were twins since birth, but what if their mother and father kept a secret from them so big that it would rock the twins' world if they were to ever find out?
1. Prologue

**The Martin Triplets**

_My First FanFiction... I don't own the show, you know the drill..._

Summary:Zack and Cody always knew that they were twins since birth, but what if their mother and father kept a secret from them so big that it would rock the twins' world if they were to ever find out? If they are triplets, where has the third one been all this time, and will this boy embrace Zack and Cody as his brothers, or would he turn away from them?

Prologue:In the beginning when Carrie learned that she was pregnant with twins, she was very scared at first. She didn't exactly have the means to care for one kid let alone two at the same time. Both Carrie and Kurt were at a loss of thoughts when neither one could decide what to do about this situation.

There were tears of confusion, tears of heartache and pain, not knowing what the future beheld.

"Kurt we can hardly make enough to get by on our own, what are we going to do about this?"

Every mans fear is realized when his responsibility to make the final, life changing decision will effect the course of life the entire family will take. This was one decision that he would never be able to take back so it would have to be carefully considered.

"We're going to be just fine Carrie. This is a momentous occasion, in both our lives. Were treading unmarked territory in which neither of us will know the outcome, but one thing is for certain, we are in this together and nothing can go terribly wrong as long as we stick together."

Kurt always had a way of making Carrie feel better even when she was at the brink of a nervous breakdown. The months flew by and Kurt worked three different jobs to make sure that Carrie would be able to take it easy during the last few months before delivery.

Although times were rough, the couple had never been so close together, this was true love, and nothing could break them up.

But that fateful night of the twins delivery, the most shocking thing that neither of them expected occurred.

"A third one? How could you not pick this up on the machine!" Kurt yelled.

He had just left the delivery room; Carrie was bawling her eyes out because she knew that the two of them were basically ruined. How could they take care of three kids that popped into the world at the same time? How could they function? Both of them **had** to work in order to make this whole situation, this whole life, work out.

At this moment Kurt was mortified at the thought of triplets. Throughout all the commotion he was causing, he didn't realize he was hyperventilating and eventually he passed out on the floor.

When he came to, he was lying in a hospital bed staring at the ceiling. He thought in desperation, "What am I going to do?" He slowly walked down the hallways with a vacant expression across his face. This should've been a happy time in his life he was a father. Finally he reached Carries room where she was holding all of the boys.

She was just as scared as he was, and the looks on both of their faces silently expressed what they both knew deep down inside, "we are so screwed."

"What are we going to do Kurt?"

He was silent before but in an attempt to be brave he put on a weak smile.

"Like I said before, nothing can go wrong if we…"

"Kurt you know just as much as I do that this is impossible, twins was impossible but at least it was slightly doable."

"Carrie what else can we do?"

"I don't know Kurt, I don't know. I- I always try to see the light at the end of the tunnel and I always try to remain optimistic but I am just not strong enough to handle this. We… we have to do something. Admit defeat or something, we just can't… just can't do this."

Carrie broke down into tears again, Kurt wanted to comfort her but she refused to be consoled. This was reality and she had to face it headstrong. Not knowing what else to do, Kurt picked up one of the babies for the first time and held it in his arms. He looked just like his mother, all of them did. At that moment he knew that he was going to do something that he would probably regret for the rest of his life, but for the sake of his children's future, it had to be done.

Like a madman, Kurt's thoughts became distorted; he wasn't thinking clearly, all he really could think about was "a way out" he left carries room with child in hand, power walked down the hallways of the hospital and made his way outside. It was 3 o clock in the morning and it was cold. He wrapped the blanket extra tight around the baby as he placed him inside his car, into one of the "twins" car seats. He drove away, where was he going? Kurt wasn't sure himself. But eventually he found himself arriving at a crisis center, where teenage girls would give their babies up to the state. He grabbed the baby and headed towards the doors but found him self stopping in his tracks.

"I can't do this." He said to himself. A woman with nowhere to turn he could understand, but as a man with a wife and two other children, he realized that no matter what happened he would have to make it work, his life no longer belonged to him but to the children he brought into this world. It wasn't his right to abandon one of his kids.

Before Kurt turned back around to head back to the car, a black limo pulled up in front of him. The window rolled down just enough to hear a voice, and nothing more.

"I can help you," said a mysterious voice. Kurt tried to see who it was but a light was shined in his face.

"That's why you're here isn't it, you need help."

"Who are you?" Kurt asked.

"Who I am is not important, what's important is how I can help you out of your little situation. I've known people just like you; desperate, unsure of how things are going to work out, scared of the future. I can help you…"

"Help me how?"

"I represent an agency that specializes in placing the right child with the right parents. We make it a point to make sure that the child is well taken care of and properly educated in ways that will benefit the world. Sometimes, the best decision one can make for their child is letting them go. Giving them a chance that couldn't be provided any other way."

"I wasn't thinking clearly, what you saw a moment ago was a man who almost made the biggest mistake of his life. I'm not going to give my child away."

"Can you really say that you have the child's best interests at heart if you are selfishly keeping him from being able to achieve his maximum potential?"

Kurt thought for a second, this mysterious man was right, no matter what happened, regardless of if he kept all three, the children would end up having to struggle the same way he and Carrie did, unless he did something that could give the others a chance at a better life. He looked at his boy again and realized that he wanted nothing more than to see all of his kids live a happy life, with every possibility in the world available to them.

As he knew beforehand, every mans fear is realized when his responsibility to make the final, life changing decision would forever effect the course of life the entire family would take.

"Will I ever see him again?" Kurt asked, he felt like he was a defeated man.

There was a short break of silence, all you could hear was the engine rumbling.

"I can't promise you that… I can only promise you that the child is in good hands."

Then without thinking Kurt made the biggest decision of his life, forever changing the course of his family's history. He gave the child to a pair of hands through the window of a limo. And as the vehicle pulled away into the night, Kurt stood in the middle of the street empty handed, cold and lonely, with only his racing thoughts to keep him company.

"What have I done?"

_Tell me what you think... **Review.**_


	2. Life at the Tipton

**Chapter 1: Life at the Tipton**

It's been thirteen years since that fateful night. Carrie couldn't handle the fact that Kurt had gone and done something that stupid, that careless.

How could he give away his own son? But deep down Carrie knew that it was her fault for putting so much pressure on him during the most stressful moments of both of their lives. Neither one could look at each other anymore; they had to go their separate ways because they couldn't bare the thought of knowing that what they did was perhaps the most selfish thing anyone could've imagined.

The twins of course were unaware of what happened and it was best that they never found out. Kurt had become like a passing wind in the boys lives, coming and going, unable to stay because every time he looked at his boys he would always wonder what the third one would've looked like if he was here.

Was the sacrifice worth it?

Things did get a little easier over the years for both Carrie and Kurt even though they split. Carrie moved from cruddy apartments, to temporary homes with her boys, Kurt chipping in any way he could, until Carrie finally got a big break in where she got a job as a headline singer at one of Boston's finest hotels. The Tipton. This was the breakthrough she needed because she was able to live there with her boys rent-free.

There was Zack, the troublemaking, smooth talking, chic magnet, and there was Cody, the quiet one that mostly kept to him self, but was always friendly. Those two boys were the only things Carrie and Kurt could really say they were proud of. The boys were an unstoppable team when they collaborated, but sometimes Zack would get the best of Cody and turn his peaceful like nature into that of an evil genius. As destructive as they were, they were still considered family at the Tipton.

"You are so dead when I find you" Zack chuckled to himself.

He and Cody were having a slingshot war with Tapeworm and Max. The game started out with two teams but instantly turned into an all out war where allies became nonexistent, rules of war had been dismissed, every moral fiber had decayed, all within the last twenty minutes.

Zack of course was the best at the game because he had no inner qualms about going to any extreme measures to get the results he wanted. Lets face it he was ruthless! Knowing Cody, and the rule that he made about the lobby being off limits, Zack knew that's exactly where he'd go to recuperate. This battle was not over; Cody's cheap tricks of diversion would only go so far. Zack had a few diversions of his own, the air ducts. That was off limits too but as everyone knew, rules were just a set of… suggestions.

As Zack made his way across the different sections of the hotel espionage style, he passed London's room peering through to see her glorifying her face up close in a mirror.

"Beauty like this should be called a talent," she said to her mirror. Then she looked off into the corner. "Hey Zacky looking for Cody?"

Wow was I that predictable, he thought. Then again both twins use the air ducts a lot and the people of the hotel have become accustomed to hearing noises through their walls, everyone except the guests. Every time they complained about the noise, Mr. Moseby would find himself knocking on the door of the twins. Then they'd be grounded all over again by Carrie.

"Have you seen Cody?" Zack asked, there was no point in pretending he wasn't there.

"Oh, he's in the lobby."

"I knew it"

"I wouldn't go down there though. Mr. Moseby's brother's here again and they had another argument. If you don't want to get stuck listening to them bicker, I'd stay as farabuble away as possible." London continued brushing her hair.

"Farabuble?"

"You know, further than far"

Zack just nodded his head. "Whatever, I'm going to get my revenge no matter what."

"Have fun!" she yelled.

Eventually Zack made his way down to the lobby ever so quietly, slingshot in hand he rolled out of the elevator towards the back of the first couch in sight. Peeking from a corner, he saw Cody sitting there with Tapeworm, having a conversation about how they were going to team up against Zack and bring him down.

"After today, Zack's reign as champion will be no more. Bwa ha ha ha ha ha…"

As Cody laughed he stood up with his hands in the air leaving his gut totally exposed to an open shot. Zack was gonna take this one shot to bring him down for good. He switched his ammo from rubber bouncy ball to a hardcore, freshly polished, shiny, marble, the size of a miniature jawbreaker.

It all happened in slow motion, Zack would dramatically rise from behind the couch, and with a distorted voice he would say, "TIIIIMMMMEEEE TTTTOOOOO DIIIIIEEE!" And as he released the firm grip on the slingshot, the marble bolted like a rocket on fire, launching towards its destination. Cody looked from the corner of his eye and saw a glistening beam of light come towards him. For what seems an eternity, he finally gets his body to maneuver just in time to dodge that maniacal bullet. Cody was saved, but the destination had changed, Cody was no longer the target, but the vase, the ever so expensive vase that Mr. Moseby had spent every waking moment of his life trying to protect from the evil little monsters would finally meet its eternal fate.

And then as if to speed up time a loud shatter quickly snaps everyone back to their senses. Like an explosion, this was the crack heard round the world, at least heard round the Tipton. Everyone stood in shock as the vase had practically vaporized. Everyone could hear inaudible gasps. Zack stood horrified, knowing where everyone's heads would be turning next. Then like a million beams of lasers being pointed at his gut, he could feel his stomach turn as he watched a million pairs of eyes focus on him.

Then there was utter silence, Maddie the candy counter girl, her jaw just dropped to the floor.

It wasn't even a minute later Mr. Moseby walked into the lobby talking to his brother, apparently reconciling some of their disagreements but he nearly busted a blood vessel when he saw the Tipton vase shattered on the floor. He didn't even know what to say so he started saying everything; it all came out as nonsensical phrases and loud gibberish. He wasn't making any sense but somehow everyone knew what he was talking about. Another minute later Carrie walked into the lobby and stood there and gasped. Zack could've fainted there. This was obviously the worst thing he's done at the Tipton. He destroyed an extremely valuable heirloom.

"Zack…" Carrie said quietly. "What have you done?"

Zack felt his knees weakening; he was about to pass out, until Carrie yelled his name.

"Zack!"

Now he was too scared to even faint. His mom looked at him with the most serious face he'd ever seen.

"DID… YOU… DO … THIS!" she said pointing at the vase while emphasizing every word.

"Y-yes…" Zack finally said after a long pause. "w-we were playing slingshots… and…"

"Both of you upstairs right now!" Carrie yelled.

Shakily, Zack moved his wobbly legs to the elevator. Pressing the button to their suite, Cody following suit. They said nothing to each other as the elevator took them away from all the commotion, slightly relieved from the massive amount of tension, but just slightly.

Meanwhile Carrie was going to try and calm down Mr. Moseby.

"I already know this is a lot to take in, and I know my boys can be a little rough, but I am begging you to please not do what I think you're going to do."

Moseby stayed silent allowing Carrie to ramble on and on. Until finally she stopped in her desperation to catch her breath.

"And what exactly do you think I am going to do." He finally asked.

"I don't know really, fire me, get my kids out of your hotel, there's so many possibilities, I have no idea."

"While I could very well fire you, and send all three of you away, however, I'm not going to do that. After all it was a mistake, not something that should ever be repeated might I add, but it was a mistake after all. I'm not the tyrant everybody thinks I am, I can be reasonable."

"Yeah that's what you think little brother" Marion replied.

"Oh pish posh, don't you have a plane to catch, little man?" Moseby fired back.

"Thank you for being so reasonable Mr. Moseby." She breathed a sigh of relief. "I know we don't deserve another chance… now I have some little people I'd like to kill." Carrie left to go upstairs.

Zack sat on his bed wondering how he was going to ever get out of this one. Max and Tapeworm were smart enough to duck out before anyone noticed that they were part of the game. Cody twisted and turned on his bed wondering how on earth he got in trouble.

"I told you the lobby was off limits, why'd you have to go there?" Cody finally said.

"If you played the game fair I wouldn't have had to go there to track you down."

Then there was more silence; there was no use in fighting because they were both going to be grounded for an eternity. They both knew their fate was sealed when they heard the door slam shut.

"Boys!"

They ran into the living room where Carrie stood there smoking mad.

"What did I tell you about rough housing in the hotel, how many times do I have to tell you that this is not our house, the only thing we have is this suite, and each other. We cannot afford to lose this gig!"

"But mom…"

"Shut up and listen… It doesn't matter who's fault it was, the fact is that both of you are at a disadvantage because you're kids, and people will always find an excuse to blame you for their problems. You have to be better than this. You're making it harder for Mr. Moseby to prove to the Tipton board why there is a reason for keeping us around."

Zack and Cody could finally see that this wasn't an easy thing for their mom, she had been trying hard to make things right and they weren't making anything better by pretty much sabotaging all of her efforts.

"I'm sorry" Zack finally said.

"I know you are sweetie, were all going to just have to try harder next time."

The boys smiled in unison until Carrie finally told them that they would be grounded for two months. To them, two months was fair enough, knowing how much worse it could've been.

"I have to go back downstairs and work. Do you think you two can stay out of trouble?"

"Yes ma'am"

"Good. Maddie will be here in a couple of hours to baby-sit. I want you to do your homework until then."

Carrie finally left going back down to the crowd of waiting guests.

The rest of the night pretty much stayed uneventful. Maddie came over as usual to baby-sit, Zack as usual was flirting, and Cody was watching the discovery channel, little did he know, the show that was coming up next would become one of the most shocking things he probably would ever see, and would be a prelude to an even more shocking revelation.


	3. He Looks Just Like You

He Looks Just Like You

_Yay! somebody reviewed my stuff, and dared to call me brilliant! I say dare because they said it half way... i'm making this up as i go along. it's really fun! _

It was getting late at night and Carrie hadn't arrive home yet. Since Maddie liked to be known as the cool babysitter, she went ahead and let them stay up a little late. Zack only wanted to impress Maddie so he decided to stick around with her and play a board game to keep her company.

Cody sat glued to the discovery channel because the next show that was coming on he had waited to see for about an hour. It was about the dark secrets of our "nation inside a nation" and their unofficial military units. To Cody, this was going to be the most interesting segment he's watched all day, this would be a great topic for political debate class. Lying back on the couch he opens up a hot bag of popcorn and begins shoving his face full. It was 11pm and the show started with an opening of war vehicles traveling across desert storms.

"What the heck are you watching Cody, this looks a little violent." Maddie asked.

"It's completely educational, it's the discovery channel."

"They should've blocked that channel out a long time ago. It poisons my mind with boredom." Zack retorted.

"Oh go play your board game, anything educational poisons your mind." Cody shot back.

The host of the show began talking.

"_There are many things that go unnoticed in our nation like organized crime, drug raids, and kidnapping conspiracies. A recent discovery has been made along the lines of child mercenary training camps here in our very nation, they are trained from infancy and raised as a soldier, then later on sold to the highest bidder when they reach eighteen. They are mentally poisoned from birth to think of nothing but the mission. Here is actual footage of one of the child training camps."_

On the screen showed a gruesome training session that each child would go through everyday of their lives, never understanding that their innocence has been stolen from them forever. It was an incredibly sad documentary and Cody found himself crying near the middle of it. He was wiping his eyes with his shirt during the commercial break.

"Oh come on tell me you're not crying." Zack said looking up from the table. "You've got to be kidding me." He started laughing.

"Well it's sad…" Cody replied.

"You are way too overly sensitive I swear. Whatever happened to them happened and there's noting that can be done about it."

"Just leave me alone will you"

"Zack give it a rest." Maddie finally said.

The commercials ended and the documentary continued to play. The show was almost over and it was midnight. The ending at least left a shred of hope.

"_Fortunately for some of these children, the government has busted some of these underground camps and rescued them from imminent danger. While others weren't as fortunate, some of these children are extremely lucky to be alive. _

Some video footage was being played of the children that had been saved. Some were as young as seven years old; others were Zack and Cody's age. They had been kidnapped from their homes, child adoption agencies, and other sources.

All of the children had seemed to be taken from someone that loved them.

They were of all races and ages.

Then at the end of the documentary, pictures of the missing children were shown as the credits were rolling. All Cody could do was stare at the pictures on screen frozen in time, frozen in eternal darkness.

About a hundred photos flashed in front of him but then there was one photo that he saw that made his heart skip a beat.

It flashed on screen for five seconds but imprinted in his mind for an eternity. The picture switched to another but Cody got up immediately, spilling popcorn all over the floor.

"Cody, look at the mess you made!" Maddie exclaimed.

Cody stared blankly at the screen wondering if he saw what he really saw.

"Cody… what's wrong… Cody!"

He finally snapped out of his trance.

"Wha… oh! Yeah! S- Sorry…"

He quickly started to pick up all the popcorn he spilled. Maddie was a little worried, Cody just blanked out for a couple of seconds.

"You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah… I'm fine."

Cody tried to act natural, his eyes unusually wide with surprise. He tried to pass it off as just being tired.

Maddie finally let it go and told the two of them to go to bed.

Before Cody turned off the TV, he saw a missing children's website that could be logged on to. He memorized it in his head and then went inside his room. Still slightly in a trance, he couldn't seem to get that image out of his head.

Zack was finally beginning to notice that Cody was acting weirder than usual.

"Dude, what's wrong with you?" he finally asked.

They were in the bathroom brushing their teeth. Cody looked at Zack and finally asked,

"Have you ever seen something so shocking, that you weren't sure if it was real?"

Zack looked at Cody wondering if he was joking or serious.

"Yeah… it was the end of summer break. You gotta stop watching those shows, it's turning you into a freak." Zack laughed, and then lightly smacked his brother on the back before going to bed.

It was one in the morning and Zack was sound asleep, but Cody kept tossing and turning in his bed. He couldn't get that image out of his head. The boy in the photograph looked just like him and Zack. It was scary because it looked like the both of them, but not quite either of them. Who was he? Why does he have such a resemblance to him and Zack?

The next morning wasn't any better; Cody sat at the breakfast table half tired in a daze, barely touching his food. He was awfully quiet at a time when he usually rants about how he planned out his day to be as eventful as possible. Carrie was beginning to get a little worried.

"What's the matter, are you sick?" She asked.

"No… not really…" Cody replied.

"You seem all depressed, or dazed, or something I dunno… What did Zack do to you!"

"Me! I didn't do anything to him, he's been like this since last night after he watched that late night show on the… discovery… channel… oops…"

It was too late for Zack to cover up the fact that Maddie let them stay up later than they were supposed to.

"So you were up past your bed time watching TV, no wonder you're so dazed, you must be tired. Awww honey, would you like to stay home today?"

Cody's eyes lit up. "Oh mommy, can I?"

"Not a chance! I can't believe you fell for that! You stayed up late, now you have to suffer. It's the only way you'll learn to go to bed on time. Now get ready, your bus is on the way."

Carrie chuckled to herself at a job well done. This was one of the few times parenting was fun. Zack stared at Cody in disbelief wondering how he didn't see that coming. He shrugged it off and snaked Cody's bagel off the plate.

"C'mon we're gonna be late." He smacked as he headed out the door with his bag.

School went incredibly slow that day. Cody couldn't concentrate in any of his classes and was even caught daydreaming by the teachers, which came as a shock because that just never happened with Cody. The documentary kept playing in his mind all morning long. Lunchtime finally rolled around and instead of hanging out at the usual table with his brother and friends, Cody made his way to the library's Internet computer.

He thought to himself that he would have to get this off of his chest otherwise this would really screw up the rest of his day and in all fairness, it was probably just a look-alike, nothing more, he was sure that maybe if he looked a little closer, he would see that it was just a genuine deception of the eye.

He sat down in front of the computer and pulled up the site that he memorized last night. There were millions of missing children on this website but there was a link pertaining to the children that were on last nights "nation within a nation" documentary. The lists of kids were considerably smaller rounding out to about a hundred or so that limited the search time. He scrolled down the pages where there were a bunch of kids that were listed as numbers instead of names. some were marked as deceased and some were marked as alive. He was getting a little nervous as he scrolled down each and every profile knowing he was getting closer to that one picture.

And then… there it was. As plain as could be. A perfect profile of a thirteen-year-old kid that was as shocking as the first time Cody saw it. This was no deception of the eye. This was real. This was as true of a look alike as he would've ever imagined. And he was alive!

Who was this kid? This was both amazing and incredibly freaky.

The only difference between this kid and the twins was the fact he had black hair, but it might have been dyed. Past that, this was an incredible resemblance. Cody's eyes were as wide as saucers.

There were a million thoughts racing through his head, but really only one thought kept surfacing to the top.

He had to show this to Zack.

The bell rang, ending lunch. Cody quickly printed a copy of the photo from the computer stuffing it into his bag before running back to class.

_oohhh... the plot thickens..._


	4. A Shocking Revelation

A Shocking Revelation

After the library, school seemed to instantly fly by since Cody's brain was working overtime. He was trying to put together every possible connection this boy might have with the Martin family line. He obviously couldn't be their brother, could he? He and Zack would've known by now right? Nobody would've kept something like that from them would they? This was so intense.

The bell rang finally, ending school that day, and Cody rushed to the bus stop, he just had to get home. He was still in a trance, he couldn't hear the obnoxiously loud yelling from the kids on the school bus, or even hear Zack calling his name.

"Cody… Cody… Cody!" Finally Zack punches him in the arm, snapping Cody out of his trance.

"huh… wha…?"

"We're home! Get off the bus! This is our stop!"

Almost everyone was off the bus by now and Cody sat there like a bump on a log receiving a glare from the driver who had been waiting for Cody to get off the bus so she could continue her run.

"Oh… sorry." He quickly grabbed his bag and scurried down the steps almost running into Zack outside who was just standing there with his arms folded.

"What is wrong with you, and don't say nothing because you've been acting weird since last night."

Zack was irritated, but slightly more concerned.

"It's nothing…"

Zack glared at Cody.

"I know what you're gonna say, but I'd rather not talk about it right now."

"Why not, I tell you everything. Is Drew bothering you?" Zack asked.

"No. It's nothing like that…"

"Then what is it?"

'I'm not sure if I should say anything quite yet… it's a little complicated…"

"So you're saying I'm too stupid to understand… I get it… I'd think… y'know… since we're brothers an everything, we could tell each other stuff… and…"

Zack trails off his sentence and turns his head pretending to be offended.

" Oh come on…don't start playing the guilt card." Cody obviously fell for it.

Zack turns back around and smiles.

" Oh well… I'm not that worried. You'll crack by tonight. Lets go inside, I'm starved."

They both reached the Tipton and as usual Zack paid a visit to Maddie at the candy counter, but Cody raced right upstairs to the suite. Immediately he slammed the door accidentally waking up Carrie from her afternoon nap on the couch.

" Huh… what's going on… did the show start?" she said half yawning.

" No mom… it's me… Cody."

"Well quit making all that racket. I'm resting for this evening…" she dozed back to sleep.

Cody made his way into the room where he threw his bag on the bed and rustled out the photo he printed out at the library. Every time he looked at that picture, a chill ran down his spine. It was somewhat eerie seeing this person up close in this snap shot.

He looked at the walls in the room that had some of the soccer pictures where the twins had a group shot together. One of the frames seemed to have an extra space in the area where the photographer unintentionally angled the camera wrong. Cody put the crinkled up print next to one of their recent photos.

It was like the missing link. Cody had to know more.

But something was different about this kid that separated him from Cody and Zack. There was a sparkle in the eyes of the twins, a sign of happiness in their lives, while this kid in the photo, his eyes were cold, tortured, like he had no understanding of life. In this photo, he appeared to be curious of the stranger that snapped his picture, wondering if he should run, if he should stay, he seemed afraid.

Cody stared at that picture for hours. Then Zack busted into the room, with whipped cream all over his face. He seemed a little panicky.

" If anyone asks… the dessert tray was stolen by animal activists trying to abolish dairy products."

Cody hid the picture behind his back hoping Zack didn't notice.

"Hey! Did you finish our homework?" cream started dripping off Zack's face.

" No… actually I haven't even started… yet."

" Okay that's it! Something is going on with you. You spazzed out after watching TV last night, you didn't eat breakfast this morning, you were all dazed on the bus, and now you haven't even started our homework even though it's the only thing you're good at. C'mon I feel like I'm losing you, you can't wig out on me now I have grades to keep up! Talk to me!"

Cody just gave him a blank stare…

" Uhh… well…" he started.

" What's that behind your back?"

"NOTHING!… I mean… nothing really… big bro…"

If it was one thing Cody really sucked at, it was trying to convince Zack that he wasn't full of crap.

Zack was the grand master of B.S. he could read Cody like a book. The rapid blinking, the rigid smile, the constant stuttering…

the fact he was clinging onto that blankey, his never-ending, obsessive, 

love affair, Cody always gave himself away.

Zack let out a wicked smile.

" You know mom's on her way out the door for the rest of the evening right…"

" Yeah… so."

"Just think about it… all rules go out the door with her too. And I told you that you would crack by tonight right?"

Cody didn't follow.

" I have no doubt in my mind that I can speed up that process. What do you think little brother?"

Then Cody's eyes got really big once he heard his brother crack his knuckles. He knew how crazy Zack got when they were alone in the house before Maddie came over to baby-sit. He was capable of ANYTHING.

Zack's wicked smile became a wicked grin showing all of his teeth. He salivated over the thoughts of creative violence.

" Speak now… or you can always wish you did before it was too late."

Cody finally took a deep breath. " Alright… fine. I thought I should've done more research before I told you but… last night I saw something on TV that was really freaky."

" So what else is new?" Zack laughed.

" I'm serious."

Cody stared into Zack's eyes, he wasn't kidding.

" Was it bad?"

" I'm not exactly sure yet…"

Cody took the piece of paper from behind his back, folded it in half, and put it close to his chest.

" Remember when I asked you last night if you've ever seen something so freaky, you weren't so sure if it was real?"

" Yeah. So what did you see?" Zack was interested now.

" I downloaded this picture today at the library during lunch. It was one of the children they found on the documentary I watched last night."

Cody slowly handed Zack the piece of paper, feeling reluctant that he show it to him. After all, he him self had a hard time being able to handle what he saw.

Zack was thinking what could possibly be so scary about a photo that was shown on TV. But when he opened that piece of paper, his whole world stopped. He looked at Cody with wide eyes and then he stared back down at the picture.

It seemed like forever before Zack could even take his eyes off of it. His eyes stared in disbelief. His concentration broke when Carrie yelled from the living room.

" Boys! I'm leaving. Do all your homework and be good." The door slammed shut.

Zack finally snapped back to reality. Staring intensely at the photograph he was finally able to speak.

"Holy crap!"

Cody just gave Zack a stare, knowing that he understood exactly what he was thinking.

Zack put his hand on his forehead and brushed back the hair from his face.

"Holy crap!"

He began pacing around the room frantically. He stopped only for a second and then stood at the picture again.

"Holy cr…."

" I know! You made your point the first two times. This is a very delicate subject right now so we can't freak out about this yet."

" Not freak out? What are you talking about? Are we looking at the same picture here? It's a perfect time to freak out! It's obvious we've been cloned!"

" Cloned? Is that the best thing you can come up with?"

" Well how else can this person exist? It's obvious someone cloned our DNA before we got to the delivery room. They drugged mom and forced her to sign government papers."

Cody just tilted his head to the side and stared at his brother in disbelief.

" Oh my god you're a dumb ass…"

With a swift punch to the gut, Cody doubled over. If he was going to get hit, he at least wanted to feel like he deserved it.

" Wait till mom sees this, she's gonna freak." Zack squealed with excitement.

" Do you really think we should show her?"

"Why wouldn't we? If anybody knows anything about this person in the picture, mom would. After all, she signed the government papers."

There was a slam to the door outside of the boys' room. They ran out to see Carrie standing there seemingly frustrated.

" Back so soon mom?" Cody said.

"They cancelled the show tonight because some crazy photographer tried to get a snapshot of an NBA Star and his family. He caused a lot of chaos and chased away most of the audience."

" So Maddie isn't coming over?" Zack said, looking disappointed.

"Fraid not… so what have you boys been up to?"

Zack just smiled.

" Investigating an unsolved mystery."

"Zack!" Cody elbowed him in the side.

" And what kind of mystery would this be?" Carrie said folding her arms.

" It's nothing mom… Zack's just playing around… right Zack?"

"What are you scared of Cody, mom's gonna find out anyway."

"Find out what?"

" The TV show Cody watched yesterday had a picture of a bunch of kids at the end of the documentary."

" Yeah so."

Zack holds up the photograph to Carrie.

" This was one of the kids, doesn't he look like he could be related to us."

Carrie's mouth just dropped open. Zack had to put the piece of paper in Carrie's hand. She seemed shocked, unbelievably shocked.

"Freaky isn't it?" Zack said, laughing it off, but then he realized that Carrie looked just a little too shocked.

"Mom?"

Carrie looked up at her boys, and then she changed her expression so she would look less surprised.

"Well… it does look like you guys. But I don't think the doctors miscounted you two chowder heads when you were born. They would have made sure to get rid of all evidence of you ever being at that hospital."

The twins just smiled. They felt a little relieved that their mom could tell her kids apart from this look-alike.

" So you don't think he's related to us?" Cody asked.

" Not a chance. I can still tell the difference between my kids and this stranger. Believe me, he's not related to us in any way." Carrie said laughing it off.

" You see Cody, I don't know what you were afraid of. And you spent all this time worrying about nothing."

"Maybe you're right." Cody said, seeming a little disappointed. He had wasted an entire day on this picture.

" Of course I'm right, now go hit those books, I gotta get at least a B on this homework assignment." Zack demanded.

"And what does Cody have to do with your grade?"

"Uhh… nothing mommy, he's helping me study. Gotta go."

Before Zack was exposed, he left before any other questions could be asked. The rest of the evening was pretty much uneventful; there was dinner, a little bit of television, Cody complaining about dust bunnies, and then silence. Everyone had gone to sleep, everyone except Cody. He was still thinking about that picture.

After about a couple hours of tossing and turning, Cody got up from his bed to get a glass of water. As he headed towards the kitchen, he could hear sniffling and mumbling.

He peaked around the corner to see Carrie in the kitchen talking on the phone. She sounded like she was crying. Not wanting to be seen, he hid around the corner to listen to the conversation.

"I don't know Kurt, I just don't know how much longer I can keep up this charade. We've been lying to the boys since day one; they're going to find out sooner or later. I think that we should tell them together."

Cody's eyes were getting big with anticipation.

"I know it's hard to bring up the past, but, what's done is done Kurt, we can't erase our mistakes. We owe it to Zack, we owe it to Cody, we owe it to… him."

Him? Who's him? Cody thought. What could his mom possibly be talking about? But then he felt a hand grab his shoulder and he let out a girlie scream that caused Carrie to jump out of her seat.

It was Zack.

Apparently he couldn't sleep either, and he ran into Cody on his way to the bathroom.

" Dude, what is wrong with you." Zack said half sleepily.

Carrie immediately hung up the phone and stood in front of the twins.

" And what are you two doing up so late." She was folding her arms.

"I got up to go to the bathroom and Cody was standing here hugging the wall. I grab his shoulder and he screams."

Carrie looks at Cody.

"I heard you talking to dad, about us."

Carrie's face changed to panic.

" Mom, who's… him?" Cody asked.

Carrie wanted to make up a million excuses just then but she realized that this couldn't wait another day, another moment. As scary as this was going to be for her, she realized that with or without Kurt, she would have to expose the twins to one of the most earth shattering revelations they probably would ever experience in their entire lives.

"Boys… you might want to sit down at the table. I have something to tell you."

Carrie was shaking. The boys knew that whatever she was going to say was going to be deep. She usually wasn't like this unless they were about to pack up and move the night before rent was due.

They made their way to the table and tried to be as comfortable as possible before bracing themselves for the news.

"I suppose you're wondering why I was up this late talking to your father. Believe me I didn't ever want this day to come up, but I knew that one day, you would have to know the truth."

" Is something wrong mom?" Cody asked. The boys couldn't handle the suspense.

And then finally as if to lift a giant weight off of her chest, Carrie just went ahead and let it roll off of her tongue.

"Boys… thirteen years ago… I didn't give birth to twins…"

Zack and Cody immediately looked at each other and then looked at their mom.

" Boys, I gave birth to triplets."

There was utter silence… it hit like an atomic bomb exploding on impact. And then finally as if to let up the intensity, a voice broke the barrier.

" What!" Zack exclaimed. Cody's heart was beating a million times a second.

"I gave birth to triplets, and the boy you saw in the photograph is your brother."

_  
Tell me what u think... _


	5. What Happens from Here?

What Happens from Here?

It was officially the next morning, the sun was almost out and since the news about… this person, came about in the most unexpected way, nobody has moved from the table for the past three hours. Everyone just sat in silence. It was more like everyone was in shock.

Carrie was in shock that she finally told the boys the truth; Zack was for the first time in his life, speechless.

It was Cody who was probably taking it the hardest. Millions of thoughts were running through his mind.

From this moment it would've seemed a long time ago when life made sense. It used to be so easy getting up in the morning and eating breakfast then going to school.

It used to be so easy just sitting down at lunch having a conversation with friends about terrible homework assignments.

It used to be so easy to think about all the possibilities of "what if" and "why not."

But for Cody, these trivial things that ran throughout his head every waking moment just went out the window. The truth about the theory of "what if" is the fact that even though you can think of possibilities, you never even dream about the impossibilities.

How could something like this be hidden for so long? Where do you begin to sift through the natural thoughts of, what's his name, how tall is he? Is he the oldest, the youngest, who's the middle child? Who's really the smartest, the most clever?

During the midst of all of Cody's thoughts, Zack made the first move of getting up from the table.

"Where are you going sweetie?" Carrie said with a light voice. She obviously felt a little guilty for springing this on the twins as abruptly as she did.

Moving away from the kitchen like a zombie, Zack turned around and in a stale voice he replied, "I hafta pee… I've been holding it since last night."

Then he turned back around and disappeared around a corner. It was just Carrie and Cody at the table. They were both afraid to look each other in the eye, both not wanting to be asked any questions.

Her fingers were fidgeting;

His toes clung onto the knobs of his chair.

The heating vents were turned on in the hotel eliminating the eerie silence, which was kind of a relief.

Silent breathing and ankle joints cracking under the table could be heard.

"What happened mom…" Cody finally spoke.

He didn't know if he really wanted to hear the truth or not, or if he even wanted her to reply. She gave him a look like she was really at a loss of words and didn't know where to begin.

Cody understood and didn't really want to pressure her into saying anything more because he was afraid the next thing that came out of her mouth would be the last stone to crumple his world completely.

He placed his hand over his mothers as a sign of understanding. Then he got up from the table heading towards his room.

"We were young…" Carrie uttered.

Cody stopped.

"Me and Kurt…" Carrie's voice was beginning to crackle; she paused as a tear ran down her cheek. She was looking across the room at a photo of her with Kurt and the twins and let out a sigh.

"Oh Cody, we were so young and stupid… we didn't know what to do… we didn't think."

Carrie couldn't allow herself to break down in front of her children; she still had to hold the family together. She paused to regain her composure.

"Not a day goes by that I don't feel guilty for what happened."

She pulls the printed photograph out of her night robe and stares at it. Cody just now noticed that even though she disregarded his existence to him and Zack, she never did give the photo back to him.

"All of these years… and I thought he was being well taken care of… It was a promise… He was supposed to be well taken care of."

Cody felt it was time to leave Carrie with her thoughts, so he went back into his room where Zack was already lying up in his bed seemingly in deep thought.

"Where do we go from here?" Zack finally spoke. He was bending each of his fingers back and forth, needing something to do to take his mind off reality.

"I really don't know" Cody replied.

"I mean, this whole time, our entire lives, we've always been the "twins" we do everything together, we are known as Zack and Cody. But this whole time, there's always been another one of us… the whole time. What does that mean for us?"

Cody paused for thought for just a second.

"It doesn't mean anything. We will always be Zack and Cody."

Cody sat down on his bed. Zack leaned forward.

"But what about our brother? We know he exists now. What should we do about it? I mean should we meet him, or pretend this didn't happen? I'm so confused right now."

"I'm just as confused as you are too. It's like, suppose we do meet him. What are we going to say to him? What if he hates our guts? After all, we we're the lucky ones."

"But it could've just as easily been one of us that ended up like he did." Zack reminded him.

"So what do you want to do?" Cody asked.

While flurries of thoughts were being juggled between the twins, Carrie sat at the dining table. How was she going to make it through work today? It was a pretty rough night, and it was going to be a pretty rough day. How would she be able to look at her kids in the face? How could she teach them to learn from their mistakes when she made the biggest one imaginable? They would never look at her the same ever again. Was she a good parent? Was she even a good person?

By the time it reached 8 in the morning, everyone was so tired Carrie allowed the boys to miss school and sleep in. There were a lot more important things to handle at the moment. She wanted to slip out of the suite unnoticed so that she could hide from her boys for the rest of the day. The last thing she wanted to do was talk even more about this.

The one thing that Carrie did do before hanging up on Kurt, was arrange a meeting point. Kurt was near Boston and he would take a detour with the band to meet up with Carrie. They were going to talk about how they were going to let the boys know about this. This was before Carrie knew Cody had been eavesdropping. She knew without a doubt that she could not handle this alone.

Kurt was definitely going to be in for a surprise.

"YOU DID WHAT?"

Panic spread over Carrie's face. She knew Kurt would be a little surprised, but he was just plain freaking out.

They had just met up in an almost deserted bar fifteen miles away from the Tipton. They were in a private area. He seemed stressed out from the drive, apparently he drove the whole night through.

"Kurt I had no choice, I was in a corner! Believe me if I could've gotten out of it I would have."

"Well what did they do? What did they say? Are they mad at me? A- Are they mad at us?"

"Kurt calm down."

"How can I? I'm their father. If I wasn't there to tell them about this myself, how can they ever trust me to be there for them when something this deep impacts their lives? I lost one son already; I can't lose the other two, not now. I love them too much."

"You're not gonna lose them Kurt. You know the boys love you. This is just something they're going to have to take in little by little at a time."

His face changed from panic to sadness.

" But all this time has passed, all this time I've wondered if he was even still alive. After all this time…"

Kurt was at a standstill. He placed his hands on the back of his neck and looked up at the ceiling.

"…and now I realize that he's been living in hell his whole life, and he probably doesn't even know anything different."

Carrie just stood there silent, she leaned to the side and grabbed her purse off the bar table and went through her bag to pull out the photograph. She tossed it onto the table in front of Kurt. He looked down and his mouth opened as if to mumble something, but nothing came out. With a shaky hand, Kurt lifted the photo into his palm and realized that he was holding a picture of the son he hadn't seen in thirteen years. A single tear ran down his face as he placed his other hand in the front of the photo as if to reach out to this boy.

"My god… he looks just like our other boys… he looks just like his mother…" Kurt smiled weakly.

He looked up at Carrie as if to silently say thank you.

"Are you sure telling the boys was the right thing to do?"

Carrie lifted up her arms.

"I'm not sure if anything I do is right anymore, the best we can do is go with what works at the time being."

Kurt was finally regaining his composure; he was getting calm enough to sit down. Carrie went ahead and sat right next to him as they both just stared at the picture. It had been a long time since they had sat so close together. Usually they would try to go their separate ways whenever Zack and Cody weren't around. It was as if they had to work hard to hate each other. But just this once, for a little while, they were able to stand being around each other. They finally had something they agreed on, they had skeletons in their closets that they both shared.

"You know"… Kurt started. "I always had this vision in my head that if or when I ever saw my third son, he would be happy, and that he would've truly been better off without me, without us. And now that I see what became of him, I feel regret all over again…"

"What do you think we should do?" Carrie asked.

"We should both probably talk to the boys about this. Together. They must have a million questions."

"I suppose you're right."

It became noon before Carrie and Kurt even moved from the table. Emotionally they were both strung out and dazed from the mental blows they both received. Kurt went ahead and drove with Carrie back to the hotel leaving the band with the RV. It was going to be a while before Kurt came back. As they pulled up to the hotel, their hearts were rapidly beating, knowing they were in for the battle of their lives.

For the first time ever, **they** would be sitting down in the chairs, while the **kids** would demand reasons for their actions.

"This feels like report card day all over again." Kurt said trying to lighten up the mood just a little.

"Well Kurt, I never really had to worry about that…"

They both smiled and worked up the courage to get out of the car to head up to the suite.

When they opened the door, both Carrie and Kurt were a little surprised to see Zack and Cody sitting at the dining room table, waiting for them. Both of them were smiling and sitting up nice and straight, hands folded.

"Hello mother." Cody said cheerfully.

"Father." Zack nodded his head.

This was a little disturbing, Carrie thought. Neither she nor Kurt was expecting to come home to this. In the middle of the table sat a fresh batch of cookies made by Cody.

"Would either of you like a cookie. I made them myself." Cody said showing all of his teeth.

There was just silence. What was going on? Why weren't either of the boys upset, or even slightly unhappy?

"Perhaps a different time then…" Cody suggested, his grin never fading.

"Hey boys! Look who's come to see you." Kurt said happily holding out his hands for hugs. The boys didn't move.

Instead they kept smiling.

Kurt put his hands down.

"So uhh… how was school today?" He tried to change the subject.

"We didn't go to school today." Zack said still grinning.

"Oh right." Kurt forgot. He took a deep breath and then stared at Carrie wondering what they should do to break the tension that was in the air.

"Would you like to have a seat guys?" Cody gestured his hand to the couch.

"Oh… I think were fine." Carrie said looking at Kurt and then back at the boys.

"Sit down." Zack said, his grin fading into just a scary looking smile.

Both parents quickly rushed to the couch and sat down not moving a muscle. They knew that they were in for it. Whatever was going to happen, they were just gonna have to take it.

Zack stood up from his chair and grabbed one of Cody's cookies and began to nibble on it before he slowly walked towards the couch. He began pacing back and forth examining both Carrie and Kurt. They were both nervous. Finally, Zack stopped right in front of them and began his speech.

Zack tilted his head as if to look up towards the sky.

"Due to recent events... hidden agendas, the unveiling of **SECRET FAMILY MEMBERS**... all that good stuff… we the children of the household have come to the conclusion that it is only fair that we be entitled to repercussive benefits."

"You know… for psychologically damaging our fragile minds by lying to us our whole lives." Cody added.

Carrie and Kurt just looked at each other. Then they looked back at the boys.

"What… kind of benefits?" Carrie asked.

"Oh, just a few mother." Zack assured her.

"First! We both would like a raise in our allowances, not just cash, but in privileges as well."

"Like what?"

"We get to choose our bedtime from now on. I mean come on, we're old enough to know when we're tired, and we know what time school starts." Zack said.

Carrie shrugged her shoulders. That was it? The boys just wanted some dirt on them to get some extra stuff? This was too good to be true. So what if she paid a few extra bucks in allowance, or let them go to bed when they felt like it. So what if Kurt bought them new clothes and gadgets, It all seemed like reasonable demands that she could actually deal with, what's the worst thing they could ask for?

She sat through their incredibly long list of demands like extra games, and new sneakers, and basketball equipment. It was more of a relief really. Maybe telling the boys this grudgingly difficult secret wasn't so bad. It seemed like they were able to take it pretty well. But it was the one demand at the very end of the list that nearly stopped both her and Kurt's heart cold.

"…and finally, we would like to meet our brother." Zack said finishing off the list.

For the first time since the parents got back, Zack and Cody's smiles disappeared. It was apparent all the other stuff they demanded was just a cover up for what they really wanted.

"after all… he's family." Cody finished.

There was a deafening silence in the room. Carrie's eyes went wide and Kurt's mouth just hung open. That was the killer, which was the number one fear that the two of them shared. It not that they didn't want the boys to reunite, it was the fact that for the first time both Carrie and Kurt would have to answer to the son that they had never really met, why he was given away.

" are you sure about this?" Kurt said finally doing the talking for he and Carrie.

" Yes. We need to meet him, look at him. Speak to him… we probably have so much to talk about that it would take forever just to scratch the surface." Cody said.

Carrie let out a breath of exhaustion. She was on her last leg. She laid her head on Kurt's shoulder and just sighed in defeat. Kurt knew just how she felt. But he knew it was time to stop hiding from the past. It was time to pull that skeleton from the closet even if things were going to turn out for the worst. It just had to be done.

"Alright… then it shall be done…" Kurt smiled, but deep down he was very scared.


	6. Road Trip

Road Trip

Life is an interesting story…

People are the actors and story is what holds them together.

The funny thing is, story is completely irrelevant!

It's an excuse for bringing those we love and hate together so they can surround us with their personalities.

It's their likes and dislikes, that are forcing us to interact, and it is through these trials within the environment we are placed in, that we learn about life.

That can make people wonder, " Is life…just a set of rules? What are we supposed to get out of it?"

It's questions like these that can torture the soul.

What if you never had the chance to interact with others to decide weather you liked or hated them? What if from the very day you were born, you were given a number instead of a name?

The first thing that you held in you hand was not a baby rattler, but a dummy grenade.

Then it may be concluded that darkness is, and will be the only thing that you will ever see.

Life is an interesting story…

But, how do you know when exactly it goes from being a suspenseful drama to an exciting thriller, or an adventure to a tragedy?

That can never be answered beforehand.

But there are times when a part of you opens up to the tragic reality of things and you learn to accept everything around you, including your fate.

A prelude to all things around us…

Not all stories are meant to have a happy ending.

They can however have a much deeper meaning within the surface.

In a story about discovery of things never imagined, new elements open up to the senses and new emotions are embraced.

Zack and Cody have another brother.

Carrie and Kurt have another son.

But how far are you willing to go in order to discover the pitfalls of life? How far can the heart stretch before it gets ripped to shreds?

The key is to venture forth…

Because everyday is the beginning of the end of what we know to be true…

"I'm a nervous wreck." Carrie said. She had been pacing all over the place for the past few days, seemingly paranoid, and a little delusional.

It had been a week since the boys discovered that they were triplets. They have since reconciled with their parents and things kind of went back to normal. Kurt had checked into the hotel and had been hanging out around the suite everyday.

This was probably the most the boys have seen of their dad in a very long time. He had been on the road for quite a while.

"Don't be scared, you're not in this alone." Kurt said, trying to comfort her.

Kurt had spent two days on the phone trying to contact every missing child agency only to find a lot of dead ends. Finally, when Kurt was able to get through, they were able to tell him about a rescued boy matching the correct description that was in a rehabilitation center for children in crisis. It was in upstate New York.

It was a little surprising that he wasn't even that far away, a six-hour drive, at the most. With a little bit of planning, a little persuasion for vacation time from Mr. Moseby, and time off from school for the boys, they were ready to hit the road.

It was officially dooms day.

Kurt bargained with the band to have them stay in the suite he paid three days in advance for, in exchange for using the RV for the trip. The boys didn't seem a bit nervous. They were ready to see this mysterious missing link in their gene pool.

As much as they both wanted to tell everyone at the Tipton what they had just discovered, Carrie told them to keep their mouth shut about it. She could just imagine Mr. Moseby having a heart attack at the very thought there were more than two kids from the "village of the damned" roaming about in this world.

Climbing into the RV, Cody waves around a bunch of folders with papers falling out.

"Hey Zack! I got my make up homework, I went ahead and got yours too, now we won't be behind. Isn't that great?" Cody said with a big smile across his face.

Zack just looked at him with a disgusted face. Cody was actually proud of what he had just done.

"What did you do that for? This is considered vacation time! Are you nuts? You're expecting me to do something while I'm **not** at school?"

"Hey. I did it for the sake of your grade."

"You know that we have an arrangement. You work with the grades and I keep everyone from bothering you. It's an equal exchange."

"Equal exchange? I do your book reports, **and** your final projects! You know if you applied yourself…"

Zack put his hand in front of Cody's face.

"Ask me if I care."

Cody gave him a puzzled look.

"What?"

"Ask me if I care."

Cody knew where this was going. My god Zack could be annoying, it was like he had to hit a certain mark of immaturity everyday and would stop at nothing until he surpassed his old record, he was so obnoxious.

"Just ask me if I care." Zack told him, his eyes narrowing in on Cody's.

Cody just glared, folding his arms he finally gave in to Zack's demand.

"Do you care?" He said breathlessly.

"Not even a little bit. Boy, you've sure got a lot of homework to do."

Zack slapped Cody's back and after a moment of silence. Zack busted into laughter and went into the back of the RV to get a drink.

Cody of course felt like a complete idiot for making that deal in the first place. Zack would've stood up for him regardless, but since Cody provided a way out of his homework, he's been screwed over since 5th grade.

"Alright we are gonna take off soon, did anybody forget anything?" Kurt asked.

" I think I left my lungs in the hotel, it's getting hard to breathe. Carrie said.

Out of all four in the car, she was the one everyone was going to have to watch just to make sure she didn't have a panic attack.

"Alright then, we are taking off in T Minus 3… 2… 1…"

"That was annoying before, and it's annoying now." Carrie interrupted.

Kurt just laughed.

Cody stared at his parents for a while. For a second it felt like they were all a close family again. Carrie was in the passenger side and Kurt was going to drive while the boys would sit in the back like it was a camping trip.

While Cody still liked to reminisce on the past and what should've been, Zack was more of the type that accepted everything as it was and didn't care about how it got that way. To him, the point was, and always has been to "move on."

Zack noticed Cody's hopeful expression as he was coming from the backroom.

"Give it up buddy it aint happening."

Cody quickly looked away to pretend he wasn't staring.

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw the way you were looking at them, you think there's a possible chance don't you?"

"Well maybe there is. I mean they're this close to each other and they haven't started arguing or anything. Maybe if we meet our brother, he'll be overjoyed to see us, along with mom and dad. What if we can take him home? We could all be a family again.

Zack took a swig of root beer and set it in the portable sink. The RV was moving around too much.

"Why do you continue to do this to yourself? You remember what happened at Christmas last year. You thought there was a chance, and you flew with that possibility and ended up crashing and burning on the sofa. Then after watching your sickening display of emotional over flow I had to clean up the mess."

"Oh so I'm just a big baby to you?"

"Don't turn this into a soap opera. You set yourself up to fall over every time. Face it. You're just living in a dream world. You should just enjoy the trip, this is as close as they're gonna get."

Zack grabbed his root beer and headed towards the front where he could mess with the radio stations.

Cody wanted to tell Zack he was wrong, but Cody knew he was right. He never liked to admit defeat but he knew somehow that life would never be the same no matter how much he wanted it to be.

He looked outside the window to see the city just pass him by. It was interesting he though how quickly things change.

There's no greater impact on the passing of time when you're taking a drive. You look forward anticipating the future, you see the approaching bridge, and within a second it becomes the present and then just as quickly the past. You watch it disappear as if it was never there in the first place.

Life is an interesting story…

We make up excuses for life when there really is no excuse. The troubles we go through are intended to teach us something about ourselves.

Instead people find ways to blame it on other things.

"Maybe it was never meant to be…"

"If only I had handled this a different way…"

"_If only mom and dad were still together… life wouldn't be this rough…"_

This was the overpowering thought that always surrounded Cody. He didn't realize it, but he was slowly changing into a different person. Little did he know that each and every time he lost an inner battle, his heart was becoming harder and harder. Unless he changed his view of life, he would internally damage his emotions and never recover.

He would always let his feelings fester in the depths of his soul. He would ignore all of his doubts and continue on with life as if nothing was wrong.

Cody looked at the table piled with loose papers.

On these pieces of papers were blank columns, unanswered questions, and mysteries of life that he actually had the power to discover on his own. It was the **only** thing he had control of. Homework… was his life.

Immediately Cody sat down and pulled out his textbooks and started to sift through the papers. After all, he had a lot of work to do.

As the hours were passing by, Cody could hear laughing towards the front of the RV. It was coming from the three people he knew his whole life.

He was going to have to let that moment last forever in his memory because as Zack said, this was as close to a family he was going to get.

"We're almost there." Kurt said in an upbeat tone. Nobody heard him. The drive had been long and it was down to the last hour and a half. Carrie had gone to sleep; she was drooling on the dashboard. Cody was slumped over his homework assignments.

Zack had been keeping his dad company since the other two had dozed off to sleep. For about the past 45 minutes they had been talking about road life, girls, and strip joints. It was fun. They pulled into a gas station and stopped for a bite to eat across the street. It was around four in the morning so it was really just the two of them sitting down.

They were in a burger joint both wolfing down triple stackers.

"You might not want to breathe on anybody for the next couple of days after this." Kurt joked.

"It's been a long time since we did something like this" Zack laughed.

" I know. We really should do this more often."

They both laughed.

"Yeah… we should." Zack finished.

There was a brief moment of silence. Then to change the subject Zack went ahead and asked his dad.

"What do you think he'll be like?"

Kurt looked up to the ceiling and then gave a weak smile to Zack.

" To tell you the truth, I honestly don't know. I mean I've been wondering since the whole road trip if he's even going to want to speak to me."

"You can't hate somebody if you've never met them." Zack said trying to reassure his dad that there was still a chance for reconciliation.

"We're all taking a chance here hoping for the best, but ultimately we're doing this to uncover the past and accept what we have done as parents, and for you boys, accept those who are family regardless of the outcome. We all need some closure."

Kurt took a drink of his soda and looked off into the distance.

Zack looked down for a second as if to prepare for his next question.

"What were you going to name him?"

There was no response. Instead Kurt looked at his watch and got up from the table.

He looked at Zack momentarily and then looked across the street at the RV.

"We better get going kiddo."

That was it? Zack thought. Was he going to just brush off the question as if he never asked? Kurt was heading out of the door and Zack quickly followed behind.

"Dad!"

As they were nearing towards the RV zack tugged on Kurt's sleeve stopping him.

"What Zack?"

"What we're you going to name him?"

"We shouldn't talk about this." Kurt kept walking. Zack grabbed his arm again.

"Why can't we talk about this! You've been beating around the bush for thirteen years! I have to know **something** about my brother. Why can't you tell me his name?"

"I can't…" he mumbled.

"Why not?" Zack was trying to make eye contact but Kurt kept looking away.

"Because Zack…" Kurt finally got the courage to look at his son and realized that his greatest despair would pour out of him, the reason why he felt so guilty about his third son.

" Zack I don't know… everything happened so fast… I didn't even have time to name him." Kurt looked down towards the ground.

"I never got a chance to name him… I never got the chance." Kurt drifted off.

Zack finally realized how hard it was for his father to admit this. This must have eaten away at him for years. His own flesh and blood… he was the reason his son was just a number.

He never had a name to begin with…

A few minutes passed by before they realized they were standing in the middle of the street and cars were starting to occupy the roads.

"We'd better get going." Zack finally said.

They walked silently to the RV and slipped in before Carrie and Cody ever woke up. Zack went to sit in the back, Kurt started up the engine and they were off again. Neither of them would speak for the rest of the drive, both feeling guilty for stirring up the past.

Zack looked over at Cody slumped over the table full of homework.

"How pathetic" he thought. But in a way he envied his younger brother.

At least he was allowed to express his emotions. He was allowed to cry, allowed to be "sensitive". As disgustingly embarrassing as it was, Cody was able to be himself. That was a part Zack had to sacrifice of himself when the divorce happened.

Only one was allowed to be heart broken, the other had to stay behind and staple everything together half assed in order to make life go on. He wasn't perfect at it but he always found a way to make things better.

He was going to have to do it again when things crumbled, when this family reunion would fall apart.

Zack always anticipated failure.

He never thought of things ever succeeding, or working out to his advantage. Expecting the worst was the only way to eliminate any surprise attack on his emotions.

He had to be stronger than everyone else.

The drive finally ended and they were in the parking lot of the facility. It was still early so all they could do was wait. Kurt finally drifted off to sleep, and the only one awake was Zack. In reality he was more scared than anyone else. The truth of the fact was, Zack wanted more than anything to see this work out.

His father was right. Everyone needed closure from their past mistakes.

The thoughts of Cody played back in his mind from earlier.

"_Maybe if we meet our brother, he'll be overjoyed to see us, along with mom and dad. What if we can take him home? We could all be a family again." _

Zack wanted to see his family smile, not just on the outside; he wanted them to truly be happy so that maybe, just maybe he could be happy too.


	7. Moment of Truth

_Thanx 4 the reviews people. they inspire me to write more. From this point i've been freestyling all the scenes and tonight I thought of how to end this fanfic and lets just say... i couldnt have thought of a cooler way to end it. so there's probably three maybe four chapters left. it's a doozy!_

Moment of Truth

"Zack wake up!" Cody was nudging his brother's shoulder. When he opened his eyes he realized he had dozed off and it was 12 in the afternoon already.

"We've arrived." He uttered.

These were the last words Zack wanted to hear at that moment. He was hoping that he'd just imagined it.

Carey was also awake staring from the window at the Child Crisis facility just a couple of feet away. Apparently her worst nightmares were at risk of being realized.

This was the place that the forgotten existed, a funeral home for the hopeless.

A dark future lied ahead of those children without the possibility of ever having a normal life. Society has rejected them and will never treat them as human beings.

She could just envision the children walking around the facilities like ghosts that haven't been laid to rest. Like zombies they probably roamed about searching for the reason they were born.

Was her son one of those kids, one of those kids without a future?

Would she be able to embrace him as a son if he was?

Her worst nightmare was the possibility that her son would not have a soul. What if it's too late for him? He could've been severely brainwashed and sent to a point of no return. And she would know for all time, that she let this happen to him. As long as she would breathe, as long as she would look at her other two boys, watch them grow up to become well rounded individuals, she would remember that one terrible mistake she made long ago. She would forever be the heartless and cruel monster who abandoned her child.

Carey was deathly afraid of this moment in her life. But she realized that this was no longer about her, or how she felt. She would have to brush away all feelings of doubt and hope for the best, after all, her two boys seemed to have all the confidence in the world that this would work out.

"Kurt wake up." Carey nudged him. "The appointment is in an hour. We have to clean up. Boys you too." She motioned for them to get moving.

The boys quickly got dressed and brushed their teeth. Cody made it a point to gather a couple of family pictures together along with school photos and pictures of the people at the hotel, pictures of friends at school. He wanted things to go smoothly as possible, get a conversation started, and maybe get this newfound stranger to like him.

Zack however was going to remain more conservative, keep his hopes and dreams down to a low simmering flame. This could all backfire.

Kurt would've like to have done the same thing but as the person who gave away the child to begin with, he believed that he would have to try harder than everyone else to make things right. He was going to bring his acoustic guitar in case things went well enough that he could play him some music, possibly break down some barriers.

Carey wanted nothing more than to just give her son a hug, with a possibility of him returning one. It seemed a little far-fetched but she decided still to hold onto that possibility.

Time seemed to be moving extra fast this morning. Everybody was trying to remember all the small little things they didn't want to forget. Before they knew it they were running late to their appointment with the head of the administrative staff.

It wasn't a big deal since they ended up waiting inside the building for thirty extra minutes before somebody came to see their party of four.

From the back of the building came a man in his late thirties dressed in khaki's and a white dress shirt. He looked a little like Mr. Moseby except he didn't have an accent and he seemed a little taller.

" Good afternoon my name is Miles Jones, I'm the head of this facility."

He was shaking everybody's hands and stopped for just a moment to stare at the twins.

" Wow…" he said almost in a whisper. " There is no question that this boy is related to these kids right here."

Zack and Cody looked at each other and kind of smiled.

"I guess that's a relief. Could you imagine if we came all the way over here and it was the wrong boy?" Carrie nervously laughed trying to break the tension.

Miles looked up at her and smiled back. "I'm sure everyone's a little bit nervous, and a little anxious…"

Everyone was nodding heads in unison.

"… But there are a couple things I have to go over with all of you. This is a very unique case we have on our hands here."

"What do you mean?" Kurt asked.

Miles suggested that they take a walk through the facility.

" You are aware of your sons lifestyle. We have never really dealt with children with a history of warfare. So far we have been treating your son the same way we would treat an adult that has been traumatized by scenes of violence. But we haven't gotten very far."

Carey looked at Kurt with a worried expression.

They were all walking across the halls where they saw children sitting in classes, others were outside in the playgrounds shooting hoops and playing soccer. For a child crisis center, it didn't look as bad as everyone thought it would.

"It seems like his mind has trouble letting go of the past. Whatever training he received has been drilled in his mind constantly. He's refusing to let it go. The only thing he talks about is "the mission."

"The mission?" Kurt asked.

"Psychoanalysis reports say that his brain is functioning well, but "the mission" is an objective. In a religious sense, this is what he constantly lives by. We've tried calling him by a name so that he could begin to tell the difference between what he used to be and who he is now, that's worked to some degree. He's finally started to say things that didn't relate directly to a mission objective, and he's starting to respond more and more to the name we chose for him."

"What's his name?" Zack said coming from behind everyone.

"Justin…" Miles said it plainly, but it was almost like a miraculous discovery for Zack.

Finally… a name, Zack thought.

But it seemed a little awkward that something so simple as a name was just given to him. Many people who have kids usually go through thousands of possible names before narrowing down their choices, and then they hold this name to everything they think about their child's potential, their personality, and their future development as a human being. But in this case, it was nothing more than a simple, hallow name for somebody, just to eliminate confusion within the rest of the pack.

Miles continued.

"When he arrived here seven months ago, he was a wreck. Nobody could get through to him. He kept calling himself "Soldier 448891" he was found amongst a group of bodies, he was one of seven survivors from an attack."

"Oh my god…" Carey for a moment thought she was going to lose it.

Cody felt even worse than he did after watching that documentary on TV back home. It was one thing to hear it on a TV screen, but it was another thing to hear all the gruesome details up close and personal. This was reality.

Zack's doubts were increasing. This couldn't possibly have a happy ending.

" I believe that it's important that all of you have arrived today. Psychologists here believe that there may be a break through in his mind if he were to see his two brothers up close. The fact that all three boys resemble each other may help a lot. This might be the answer we have been looking for."

"We're all hoping for the best." Kurt said feeling a glimmer of hope.

"We have to" Carey agreed.

Miles nodded his head in agreement and then led everyone into especially reserved vicinities where there were four conference rooms, two on each side. There was a two-way mirror outside each of them where you could see what was going on. There were no visitors today and the only room that was going to be occupied was at the far end to the left. For a second everyone paused.

"Is this where we're going to meet him?" Cody asked.

The environment seemed a little drab and uncomfortable. The walls were colorless, the tiny hallway was dark, and it was noticeable that the fluorescent bulbs on the ceiling were non-existent and the only source of light was coming from the sun pouring in through the windows behind each of the tables. Looking to the left and right, everyone finally looked at each other as if to ask the same question in all of their minds, "what the hell."

This was not how anyone imagined their first meeting. Cody was hoping for a cheery visit where there was lots of open space where everybody could relax in the atmosphere and just talk.

Zack was hoping there was at least something to do inside the room like watch TV or play cards, or even a stupid board game, maybe he could find something that he had in common with him, stuff like "hey you like sports?" Or "look at this awesome chase scene." It seemed stupid but how else was he going to find a way to connect? That was the main objective after all.

Instead the only things he saw were cold, uncomfortable chairs, and a table.

Kurt also looked a little disappointed. How can someone open up if they're stuck in a facility that resembled prison?

"I know that this doesn't look like the ideal environment to meet somebody that you have never seen before, but due to security risks, we have to keep him in the more contained area. Just until we see how he reacts to visitors."

The crew finally took a couple of steps towards the end of the hall where they were going to meet their long lost family member for the first time. It was after looking at the fourth and final window into the room, everyone kind of let out silent gasps.

There he was, sitting down in one of the chairs.

"This… is Justin." Miles told them as he gestured his hand towards the window.

"It's best that you address him as such, since it's what we've called him since the first week of his arrival."

Zack and Cody just stood completely still, their eyes were completely fixed on their brother, and they almost didn't hear what Miles said.

"So this is Justin…" Zack said.

"Justin Martin… it kinda fits." Cody added.

His black hair from the photo seemed to have faded into blond highlights; it must've been dyed after all, it covered his face and hung down to shoulder length. He was dressed entirely in black wearing an oversized shirt that draped over his body, exposing one of his shoulders that had apparently been scratched up. On the table was a stack of paper in which he seemed to be busily scribbling all over; rapidly grabbing another piece once he finished, trailing loose pages onto the floor.

This was it, Carey thought. The time was at hand to where she would have to answer to somebody beside herself for what she did so many years ago. This was going to be the time when she would decide weather to open the conversation with all the possible ways to say, "I'm sorry for what I have done" or "I've though of you everyday." She put her hands on the glass window thinking of the right words to say at that moment. At this point she was just surprised to see that her son was still in one piece. He looked healthy, physically at least.

"Justin" didn't look like the zombie she had imagined. In fact, he looked half past sane. Was she going to be able to have a conversation possibly, would he answer her questions, talk to her? The boys? For a second she had every hope in the world that this might be a good visit.

"I think it's best we have the twins go in first." Miles suggested.

"He might respond to the boys better than anyone else."

Miles waved his hand towards the boys signaling them to come to the door. Above all of the things the boys were feeling at this moment between nervous, and excited was probably hope. They had both secretly wished for something good to happen out of all of this, it all looked very possible.

Miles opened the door for the boys and let them in.

Cody is one who is usually the cautious, so it was to his brother's surprise that he was the first to make any movement, slowly walking closer to Justin. In Cody's hands was a binder full of scraps and photographs that he set at the very edge of the table as far away from the stranger. Justin remained scribbling on paper, he didn't seem to be bothered by another presence in the room so Miles felt it was okay to close the door behind the boys. Zack stayed put. The adults would be watching from outside to see what would happen.

"So far, so good." Miles took a deep breath of relief.

Carey was hoping to god that this would work.

Kurt was crossing his fingers.

Everything would be riding on this meeting between the boys. Although Cody was bold enough to get as close as he did to his third brother, he didn't want to get too close by sitting down possibly invading his personal space.

"Um… h-hello. My name is Cody."

There was no response. Cody looked back at Zack, he just shrugged his shoulders and gestured Cody to try again. Maybe this was going to be a little harder than he thought. Cody turned back around and tried a different approach. He tried to look and see what he was drawing. They just appeared to be scribbles from a black crayon. Lines drawn in haphazard ways but Justin seemed to be concentrated heavily on this piece of paper.

"That looks interesting, what is it?" Cody got a little closer this time to test the waters, still, no reaction from Justin. Nobody knew for sure if this was good or bad.

"I'll tell you one thing, nobody's gotten this close to him so far without him jumping up to attack." Miles said.

"He's attacked people before?" Carey asked.

"Not lightly either, he stabbed one of the attendants in the thigh with a pen. But this looks good so far."

This didn't help either Carey or Kurt during their nervous state of mind.

Meanwhile Cody was close enough he decided to slowly pull a seat from the table and sit down. He put his arms on the table and tried his best to keep smiling.

"Y'know… I like to draw too. I remember in kindergarten I colored this picture in class and the teacher thought it was the greatest, she hung it up on the wall." Cody laughed nervously but realized he was going to be the only one laughing.

Zack just nodded his head at his brother's horrible story of the one drawing he ever did that got him recognition.

"Slap yourself… hard."

"You have a better story?" Cody fired back then turned around to put his head down on the table, still looking at Justin.

This boy seemed to be inside his own prison of thoughts. Unwavering in his attempt to perfect whatever was in his head, he continued to scribble on different pieces of paper. The only time he would look up would be to grab another piece. The all of the sudden out of the blue, he began to speak.

"How long?" Justin said.

Cody's head snapped back up. Zack who was leaning against the wall in the corner stood back up attentively.

"What did you say?" Cody asked.

"I said… how long… how long will you continue to be the voice inside of my head?"

Outside of the room, Miles was in shock. This was the first time Justin ever truly engaged in a conversation with anybody. Carey and Kurt looked on in anticipation.

"Go on Cody. That's it." Kurt said, wishing Cody could hear his encouragement.

In the room Cody was trying to understand the question that was just asked.

"I don't understand what you mean."

"I hear you all of the time… every time I walk through the halls, when I try to go to sleep, when I try to think."

Justin pressed down hard with the crayon breaking it in half. He looks at the drawing and just tosses it on the ground. He realizes he's out of paper but he continues to look down at the table.

"Every time I try to put things back to order, the voice inside my head is always telling me about the mission. The final mission."

"What's the final mission?"

Justin smiled. "You know better than I do. Is this a test?"

Cody decided to play along; maybe this was his way of striking a conversation.

"Yeah. This is a test. I want to know, if you know, what the final mission is."

"Sacrificial Redemption…"

Zack was at a distance but he realized that something wasn't right. He could see the intensity in Justin's face. It appeared that he really believed in what he was saying. Zack wanted to motion for Cody to back away.

"Cody… you gotta stop. This doesn't look good."

"C'mon Zack ever heard of role play?"

"Who is Zack" Justin asked, smiling again.

"My brother… our brother, he's right here." Cody points off into the distance.

Justin for the first time lifts his head and to his shock he looks around and sees for the first time that there are two actual individuals in the room. He stood up and backed away quickly, knocking the chair over.

"When did you become a vision? How can I see you! You're not real!"

What went from a peaceful conversation erupted into a chaotic mess.

"Justin" Cody started.

"You're not real!" He shouted. He backed fully into a corner.

"I'm not a vision Justin, I'm real. I'm just as real as you. You and I… you and I are brothers. We're triplets. You me and Zack!"

"LIAR!"

From the outside of the room Carrie was freaking out.

"Get him out of there now! Get both of them out right now!"

Zack ran forward to pull Cody back.

"Get away from him, he's freaked out!"

Cody was resisting Zack's pulling.

"No! He has to know we are not visions! Justin…"

"Get away from me!" Justin crouched into a ball at the corner of the wall and buried his head in his arms.

"Justin, listen to me! My name is Cody. I'm your brother."

Cody extended his hand to try and reach out to Justin, but like a snake that curls in defense before attacking, Justin leaped forward with the intent to kill Cody in a desperate attempt to rid himself of "the vision." With his hands around Cody's neck, he would've strangled him to death if it were not for Zack picking up one of the chairs and hitting him across the head knocking him out for a few seconds.

Miles, Carey and Kurt came rushing in at full speed. Miles rushed over to Justin, checking if he had a pulse.

Carey and Kurt hugged both of the boys happy that neither of them was severely injured.

"Oh my god, are you okay sweetie?" Carrie said clutching Cody's shoulders.

"Mom, I'll be fine." Cody's real concern was Justin. He was regaining consciousness; the parents backed the boys away. Miles stood him up.

"You… really are real…" he said in a quiet voice.

Everyone was at a standstill. Justin was stable and calm enough for Miles to let him go. He slowly walked past everybody up to Cody and held his right hand upward spreading his fingers. Then he touched his face and for the first time, Justin realized that this was no voice inside his head. He clasped his hand over his mouth and backed away.

It was in this moment that everyone standing in that room felt a sense of victory. This was the beginning of a reunion that was many years in the making. A lost child has been found, grieving parents can finally start the healing process, and siblings can join together and become a stronger team, always there for each other to fight opposition.

All these things had become an instant possibility the moment two siblings recognized each other as living breathing creatures.

But sadly this moment of sheer happiness would be short lived. Through the discovery of a dark secret that lied underneath the exterior of this child, a reunited family that only dreams can be made of, would be just that, a dream.

And in the end the one thing we all know to be true is the fact that dreams will eventually come to an end.

_Whaddaya think people? _


	8. A Brand New Story

**_it's a long chapter, i had alot to cover... _**

A Brand New Story

There is a point in everyone's life where they want to go back in time and do something different so they can leave regret behind them. But sometimes it's necessary to have regret to look back on so lessons can be learned, and we can actually appreciate those small gaps in life where there's a chance to make up for a mistake, cherishing the possibility of a second chance.

Carey always wanted to believe that, so she made it a point to try to look for the possibilities of goodness. For a while she wasn't able to do that since she had such a guilty conscience weighing down on her. But since she arrived at a place where she could confront her sins of the past, she has slowly been able to regain that part of her she felt she had lost a long time ago.

It had been a day and a half since everyone had arrived to meet the not so distant relative.

Justin was progressing very well in his interaction with others.

The orderlies were able to move him from the creepy looking dungeon of a conference room into a place that was a little more appealing to the eyes. It was a much bigger room with books and board games, even a Television that played in the background. With all the noises buzzing around, it settled everyone into a more relaxed state of mind.

Cody had been running his mouth constantly since he arrived; it was as if he had to tell his entire life story in one sitting. Honestly everyone wanted him to shut up for five minutes but it wasn't like anyone had something better to say. Cody was covering all the aspects of their lives. Flipping nonstop through his collage of pictures, he was showing Justin a flurry of images, he stared with intense curiosity, Cody kept on moving his mouth at super speed.

"…And this is Maddie, she's the candy counter girl, Zack likes her. This is Estaban; he's on vacation back home with his mom, you know I wonder what he'd think if he knew there were three of us, oh well, oh yeah… this is Muriel she's super lazy, but everyone likes her which is the only reason she still works there, Arwin is the electrician, and this is London."

Cody was about to flip the page again but Justin stopped him and pointed at London's picture.

"Tell me more about this… London." He said with a little smile on his face.

"Oh you wouldn't be interested, she's the daughter of the Hotel owner. She's super rich and as air headed as a balloon. But she's nice, I guess."

"Then you wouldn't mind if I kept this picture."

Justin reached under the plastic of the picture book and pocketed the photo.

Zack let out a silent laugh. He was a little relieved that this guy resembled him in some way. Justin was a natural born player just like him. Even though he was happy with the way things were going, Zack was still hugging the corners of the room.

Since that little incident the other day, he hasn't really said anything to Justin. He felt slightly guilty for hitting him across the head with a chair before he even got the chance to introduce himself.

Zack was still curious if Justin was going to freak out on everybody again, he didn't forget his rant about voices inside his head, or about the mission that was still fixated into his brain. It was truly a magnificent moment for the family reunion but he just couldn't forget about what happened before.

Visiting hours were almost over and the rest of the gang hardly had anything to say to Justin. They laughed along with Cody as he told Justin funny stories about living in the hotel but nobody really trailed off into anything different. It seemed as if they were afraid to speak. Carey sat crossed legged in one of the lounge chairs slightly rocking back and forth while Kurt was standing right behind her holding onto the chair. It was a little eerie. In a comfortable setting sat the most uncomfortable people.

The clock tower outside rang seven PM. Visiting hours were over and everyone had to clear the rooms. Kurt and Carrie slowly backed away telling Justin that they would be there again tomorrow, bright and early. Cody was exhausted from all the talking so he went ahead and packed up the picture book and reached over the table to give Justin a pat on the back. Then in a moment of awkwardness, he gave Justin a hug.

Justin's eyes grew wide; he found it a little strange. Little did he realize, he'd never really been hugged. If it always felt this weird having somebody surrounding a pair of arms around you breathing down the back of your neck, he knew that he wouldn't be the huggable type.

"I'm glad we've finally met." Cody whispered. His arms were still wrapped around his brother.

Justin didn't know how to respond so he said the first thing on his mind.

"Uh… okay."

Cody let go. Justin was relieved; he thought this kid was bizarre.

"See you tomorrow… brother." Cody said excitedly.

He couldn't wait for the next day. There was so much to show Justin. For the first time in a while there was something more on Cody's mind besides homework. He felt that Justin would be his new project. Perhaps with a little time and effort he could get this stranger to accept the entire family as a whole and he would be able to come home with them and start a brand new life, away from this terrible dream he'd been living. There were so many possibilities.

Cody could just imagine walking into the Tipton with a surprise for the entire hotel. Everybody would be amazed at this new discovery of a third brother. Maddie, London, and especially Estaban would definitely get a kick out of it, Arwin would want to do research of course, Mr. Moseby would probably pass out from fright but then he'd come around, as he always did. All the kids at school would be thrilled over the missing link, Justin would tell his story of how he escaped a life of torment and was rescued out of a prison. So many cool stories he'd be able to tell.

Miles escorted everyone down the hall and started talking to Carey and Kurt about the excellent progress Justin was making. They trailed off and disappeared down the halls and that's when Zack took a last look at his brother who still hasn't made any eye contact with him yet.

Zack approached Justin to pat him on the back the same way Cody did, but it seemed like he was hesitating a little. He lightly tapped his hand on Justin's back.

"Uh… see ya tomorrow… uh… buddy." After a weak smile, Zack was the last to head towards the door.

"Are you… afraid of me?" Justin asked looking up at Zack.

There was a bit of silence following that question. Everyone was gone; orderlies haven't arrived for Justin yet. Zack looked back at his brother sitting down at the table with his hands folded. Looking at Justin's face, Zack could see that his brother seemed a little bothered that he hasn't spoken to him at all.

"Of course not…" Zack let out an awkward smile.

"Your voice says one thing but your face says another…"

Justin looked down at the table as if to search for the right words to say.

"I'm sure you have your reasons for pretending not to hate me… but I know when I'm being lied to."

Zack was a little surprised at Justin's straight forwardness.

"Perhaps I'm not what you expected. I'll understand if you don't think of me as your brother."

"No. That's not it." Zack started.

"I'm not human you know…" Justin stated. He frowned at the table before faking a smile.

Zack looked at him with curious eyes. What did he mean by that.

Justin pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and then set it on the table. It looked like one of the crayon drawings he had been working on in the other room. It was a picture full of kids that lived in a shack.

"This is my family… the majority of them are dead now. The others… I'm not sure what happened to them."

Zack looked at the crinkled up paper. All of them had guns and there were tall people in this shack that had fangs drawn in their mouths. The children were looking at them in fear. It was a pretty descriptive drawing.

"For years I always believed that the unit I was established in, was my family. My father was the mysterious man who we all addressed as sir, my mother was the gun I held in my hands which I cherished, slept side by side with, because it was my only comfort, my only protection."

Justin looks outside the window at a group of children playing together.

"There was always a test of survival, sometimes, in broad daylight, sometimes in the middle of the night. There was gunfire, explosions everywhere. All I could ever hear during those times was screaming. Everyday I would wake up to find one of my brothers dead."

Zack just stood there silently. Was he supposed to reply?

Justin then pulled out the photo of London. He was lightly bending the small picture back and forth. Then he stopped and just stared at it.

"… And now that I see you… and Cody. I realize that my family is not like yours… your universe is far different than mine. You have these precious memories to look back on, these unforgettable people in your life in which you can be around, knowing they can make you happy. That is the mark of a person that has lived, that's what makes a human being… so you see… I can't be human… I can't possibly be your brother."

Justin placed the photograph back on the table and pushed it away, he felt it wasn't his to keep. He sighed deeply as if admitting defeat, and then he looked away from the table.

"But that's okay I guess… after all, it's part of my destiny, the ordinary life was never meant for me."

Justin stood up from the table and headed towards the set of doors in the other direction leading back to his corridors. He paused for just a moment.

"I just wish that I didn't have to face the truth. I was doomed from the beginning."

"Wait." Zack said. Justin turned around. Zack was walking towards him.

He didn't know why he stopped Justin; it was just that he felt he had to say something to him.

"I'm… sorry that I hit you across the head with the chair…"

"Why? You did what you had to do in order to protect your family."

Then with a shy smile Justin added,

"It must be good to have someone close to you worth fighting for."

He turned back around but Zack wasn't finished.

"You know you're wrong about one thing."

"Wrong… about what?"

"You are human… it's just that you haven't discovered yourself. You haven't really been out there, so you can't be doomed."

It was a kind thing to say but Justin didn't believe Zack. The more he thought about where his life had led him, the more anger and hurt he felt.

"I didn't count myself out… that's the decision the world made. You should see the way they stare. From the first day I arrived here I learned a very important thing; the truth is far more painful. It's not easy accepting that you're a freak."

Zack wanted nothing more than to make Justin feel better, but he knew that no matter what he said, it wouldn't change Justin's morbid view of life.

Meanwhile outside the doors of the visiting room, everybody was heading towards the door exit.

Kurt was feeling cheerful that everything was going well enough for them. He wanted to celebrate and take everyone out for dinner. It took a little while before the gang realized that Zack wasn't behind them. They were almost out of the building before orderlies knew that there was a missing person.

"Where's Zack?" Carey asked.

"I don't think he left the room." Kurt said.

Cody didn't seem to have a clue either. Then all of the sudden Miles radios in a code red. Telling anyone within the vicinity of the visiting rooms to get Justin immediately. Automatically many people in the building began running full speed down the hallways, locking down the doors leaving security the only people out and about. Carey Kurt and Cody were almost put behind doors as well but they stopped Miles demanding answers.

"What is going on here isn't this a little extreme?" Kurt yelled.

"I told you before that we have never dealt with a child like yours in this vicinity before and there are a couple of precautions that we had to take. We have to act fast to save your son."

Carey began to panic. " Which son? What are you talking about? Is there something you haven't told us?"

"Your son Zack is in very real danger. I can't explain right now, the important things is that we get Zack out of there, right now." Miles finally said. Then he ran off down the hallway.

Meanwhile back in the visiting room, Zack heard the alarms go off and wondered what was going on.

Justin began to shake violently. He knelt to the ground, something was happening to him.

"What's wrong, are you okay?" Zack said.

"The medicine… it's… it's wearing off." Justin legs got wobbly and he had to support himself on the table.

Zack nudged himself closer.

"Are you sick… I can go get help!"

Watching Justin go through what looked like a seizure came as a shock to Zack. A low growl of pain came out of Justin as if he was transforming into something from a horror film. He was in a great amount of pain. He grabbed onto the table so hard that his fingernails were peeling off.

"Y-you have to leave… right now!" Justin managed to say before falling completely to the ground.

"Oh my god! W-What's happening to you?" Zack was freaked out.

Justin's violent trembling was getting worse. He wrapped his hands around his ribs tearing part of his shirt, cutting into his flesh. He let out another cry of pain before blacking out on the floor. Justin had stopped shaking. Was he dead? What happened? Zack was at a stand still; he didn't know what to do.

The door to the visiting room was busted down; Zack was grabbed by a group of people trying to protect him.

"Something's wrong with Justin you have to help him!" Zack managed to say.

Orderlies formed a large circle around Justin who laid on the ground still. Nobody moved towards the body to even check if he was alive. Instead guns were drawn out pointing towards him. Zack just stood in horror; he had no idea what was going on.

"He's sick! He needs help!" Zack yelled.

He managed to get out of the protective hold placed on him and he ran through the circle to check on Justin.

"Noooooo!" Miles shouted. He ran after Zack.

Before Zack could react, Justin snapped to his feet.

He grabbed Miles twisting his arm backwards, and then cracked his kneecap bending his leg the wrong direction. Miles was flung towards the others guards knocking them down, and then Justin placed his arm around Zack's neck, his fingers touching pressure points.

"Put your tranquilizers down and back away or he dies!" Justin yelled.

Shakily, Miles crawled from the heap of bodies with his two working limbs.

"Justin calm down."

"No! My name is not Justin! I am soldier 448891! And you're keeping me from fulfilling my objective! How long did you think you could keep me here?"

"Please, we can help you."

" Help me? You took me away from my unit, my family! It's bad enough you dragged these… imposters into your bullshit, but you and I have different agendas. This ends now!"

The cloud of confusion was beginning to lift from Zack. It was apparent Justin had a split personality. The orderlies knew about it, the security guards knew about it, it all seemed to make sense, no wonder they placed him in that dungeon like room in the beginning. This side must've been the violent, temperamental psyche that was conveniently shielded from the family.

Justin turned his attention to Zack; he let out a wicked smile. Zack could see that his brother was mentally insane. The calm demeanor, the sense of vulnerability, his fear of being a freak, all of this was non-existent in this other person. This Justin was bold, daring, and would stop at nothing to get what he wanted, even if it meant killing. This was no human being, this was a soldier who's one objective was to see the mission through, the first step required escape.

"No offense kid, I really enjoyed talking to you but there's too many doors between us in which we could never understand each other."

Zack was kicked towards the security team as Justin picked up the table to use it as a shield against the tranquilizers. Those who were able to pick up their guns fired away but they were too late. The table was used to bust the door open. Justin hopped over six different people making a run for it down the hallway.

"He's evaded security! Stop him!"

Justin continued to run, flooring anybody that got in his way with swift punches and kicks. Nobody was spared from his wrath, from big security guard to small nurse; everyone found a place on the floor unconscious.

He carried the heart of an assassin. A ruthless display of raw power was used on any one and anything. Finally oncoming resistance cornered him. Justin paused for a moment before running to get enough speed to scale the walls and reach the air ducts. From a birds eye view he would observe the enemy.

The time to fight had passed. It was time to escape. Justin knew that his chances of freedom would increase if he were to become an imminent threat to those recent visitors. Climbing through the ducts, he made his way towards the front of the building. It was then he heard familiar voices.

"Can somebody please tell me what the hell is going on?" Carey yelled.

"Ma'am we need you to calm down. We need all of you to take cover in one of the rooms."

"I'm not leaving until I get answers!"

"Carey we need to…"

"Damn it Kurt not now! I'm sick and tired of the mystery game. I want answers now! "

From the distance security was running towards their direction with Zack in the front. Carey was relieved that her son was okay but before she could express any relief Zack was yelling in the distance to **run**. Nobody could quite understand what was going on but then the air duct on the roof busted open and Justin landed in front of Kurt, his eyes staring coldly into his fathers.

"Freeze! We have taser guns this time and we **will** use them!" Security yelled.

Every person capable of holding a weapon was right behind Justin. Zack was pulled back once more into a protective hold.

"Justin. What's going on?" Kurt asked. There was no reply.

"Justin! You will put your hands up and get down on the floor!"

Carey panicked, "What's going on? Why are you pointing weapons at my son! What are you crazy people doing-…!"

Justin turned around and backhanded Carey, knocking her to the ground.

"HEY!" Kurt yelled. He tried to grab Justin but instead he was used as a shield for the oncoming taser gun. Kurt was hit and he fell to the floor shaking.

"Hold your fire!" Miles shouted from the distance. He managed to grab onto the walls as support to get down the hallway.

Cody looked around at all the chaos and finally just stood there mortified. He couldn't believe what just happened. He saw his mother on the floor shaking off the blow; she had blood coming out of her nose, and his father was on the ground twitching. Justin remained standing there with a look of satisfaction on his face.

"Justin… what have you done?" Cody said almost silently.

Justin ignored him; instead his attention was on somebody else.

"I can keep this up Miles, you know I can, the question is how long can you!"

Security let Miles through so he could try to talk sense into Justin. In his hand was a bottle of pills.

"I only want to help you."

"Get that poison away from me."

"Justin, you're sick, you need help. You've suffered a serious amount of mental abuse."

"And you intend to fix me? You intend to erase the voices inside my head? I need them to help me complete the mission."

Justin glances behind him at the two adults on the ground.

" You used them Miles. You used my deadbeat birth parents as bait to let me out of my cage. You used the body doubles to poison my thoughts, make me into one of you. What can you do now that I'm free? Without the pills I'm much stronger than this "Justin" you've created."

"You're out of control Justin. If you don't get help, you could lose your mind forever."

Justin paused for a moment.

He looked around to see all the destruction he caused after just moments of being out of the room. He knew deep down inside what he was doing wasn't right. There were millions of voices in his head but out of all of them, he could still hear the faint voice of his other side telling him to stop.

"Justin, whatever happened to you was in the past. There is no mission. There is no main objective anymore. Don't you see? There is no need for a soldier; you've already been set free."

Justin calmed himself. His cold, lifeless eyes were starting to regain a little bit of life. Miles was glad he was reaching him.

"Since you've been here, you've made great sacrifices; you've made great progress. You're starting to see light at the end of the tunnel. Don't quit now. You can't leave… I don't want to see you end up dead."

The rage had left Justin. He had slowly regained his composure and he was almost himself again.

Then somebody fired a tranquilizer hitting him square in the chest. He glared at Miles with intense rage believing that it was another one of his mind tricks. He pulled the dart out of his chest and walked towards Miles.

"You think you're so smart don't you?"

But then another dart was fired, hitting his thigh. Justin pulled that one out too but then three more were fired, then another, and then another. Soon his body was covered with tranquilizer darts. The fact that he was still standing had many surprised.

"You think you can save me… I don't need to be saved…"

Justin dropped to his knees hardly able to keep awake. He looks off to the side and sees Cody standing there with tears welled up in his eyes. The picture book he was holding slipped from his fingers and hit the ground, sending photographs every which way.

Justin looked at one of the pictures closest to him. It was Zack and Cody's soccer photo. To him these boys were twins then, and would be twins forever.

Justin spoke with the little energy he still had.

"Take a good look at me… I'm already dead…"

Then Justin looked at Carey. She didn't bother getting up from the ground; she just sat there in awe of the whole situation.

"After all… I was dead before I was even born wasn't I mother?"

There was no reply. Carey put her hand over her mouth and just cried silently. She looked away from her son's eyes. Justin laid his back completely on the ground letting the drugs take its full effect on him. Nobody moved incase it was another trick. Before Justin completely blacked out he became delirious and began to talk to himself. What he was saying was nonsense to everybody, except Kurt who had regained his body movement.

"I… represent an agency …that specializes in placing the right child with the right parents."

Kurt's eyes went wide.

"W- We make it a point to make sure that the child is… well taken care of… and properly educated in ways that will benefit the world."

Kurt couldn't bear to listen. How could Justin remember that conversation, he was just a baby. How did he know he was given away? Tears poured down Kurt's eyes. He felt so ashamed. Whatever was wrong with Justin was because of what he did. As Justin trailed off into a silent slumber he mumbled the last words, which impacted Kurt the most.

" Sometimes… the best decision one can make for their child is letting them go. Giving them a chance that couldn't be provided any other way."

There was no more movement. Justin was unconscious. Orderlies picked up the body and transferred him over to a hospital ward. The threat was gone. Zack stood there motionless; he knew right then and there that his family would never be the same. He looked at Cody knowing that his dreams had been shattered. It was a shame too; He worked so hard to try to bring the family together. Looking at him standing there was so depressing; there was no need for description.

Everybody had taken a blow. Carey lost her son, she was dead to him and there was no chance of revival no matter how hard she tried. Kurt was the first to make any sudden movement. He headed down the hallway chasing after Miles, demanding answers.

He found him in a room with doctors trying to fix his leg.

"What the hell did you do to my son?" He yelled.

Kurt pulled Miles from the bed holding him by his shirt. Nurses ran out of the room. It was just the two of them stuck in the room together.

"I didn't want to scare you with all the details, we at the center felt it was okay to experiment with the…"

Kurt right hooked Miles square in the jaw sending him across the other side of the tiny room.

"We didn't know how he would react… we though there was a possibility of him getting better."

Kurt balled up his fist, he wanted to hit him again but he restrained himself.

"So what are you saying… huh? Are you telling me all this talk about progress was bullshit? You lied to my family, giving us false hope that things would turn out alright?"

Miles didn't want to get off the floor. He knew what he did was wrong, regardless of his good intentions.

"What kind of person are you? You sick bastard. You've ripped my family's heart apart."

Kurt put his hands behind his head and looked up to the ceiling. He paused for a moment and then stared back at Miles.

"Tell me the truth… is there any hope for my son?"

Miles worked up the courage to speak.

"We don't really know anymore… the medicine he's been given for the past months has become immune in his body. There was no other way to control him…"

Kurt was getting frustrated.

"Just tell me…"

Miles stared into Kurt's bloodshot eyes, he had stopped balling his fists, they settled down to a relaxed state. He wanted to have good news for Kurt but what he was going to say next was just unbearable.

"As of right now, Justin may never be the same again… we aren't sure of what happened to him. There is no cure. He will have to be transferred to an institute for the criminally insane… I'm sorry."

Miles held his head down in shame. He was expecting to get hit again because he felt he really deserved it. Instead Kurt just walked out of the room where he saw Zack and Cody standing there. They heard the whole thing. Kurt didn't know what to say so there was an indefinite silence. All three of the guys headed back down the hallways of the crisis center.

Carey had been taken into a room to fix her nose. So Kurt went in to check on her. Zack and Cody just sat there on the benches in the hallway waiting. Zack was replaying the conversation he had with Justin. He couldn't possibly be as bad as they said he was, could he? They had a real conversation didn't they? It wasn't anything like the conversation Justin had with Cody; Zack remembered Cody did all the talking, it was different with Zack, and Justin actually spoke with him.

This was so confusing.

Sitting next to him was the ever so silent Cody. He just looked down on the ground staring at his feet.

"Hey buddy… some day huh?" Zack said.

Cody didn't say a word. He just sat there as if he was pretending not to exist. Zack put his arm around Cody, knowing he just needed somebody to just sit there with him.

"You know… it's okay to cry… I wont laugh at you…"

Cody whipped his head up towards Zack.

"I've decided that I'm not going to cry anymore."

"Cody it's okay…"

"No! It's not. I'm tired of crying over things that I can't control. Tired of being dragged through hell and back… and for what? To sit up every night wondering how I can make things better for everybody. It's just not fair."

"Cody I understand…"

"No you don't, you're the strong one remember? Everybody relies on you to make things better. Your Mr. Indestructible. Its time I take control of my own life and stop caring so much. There's no point."

"You think I'm indestructible? You think I don't work just as hard as you do to make things better for everyone around us? You're not the only one hurting."

They both stared at each other, both feeling angry, but knowing it was at the wrong person.

The hospital door opened, Kurt was holding Carey upright because she was drugged with painkillers. It was official; the whole family was screwed up. Kurt signaled for the boys to get up. They headed towards the exit doors.

When they got outside it was dark. The fog was beginning to pour in.

"We're going home…" Kurt finally said as he and the boys got Carrie into the RV. It seemed like it was the right thing to do.

Kurt couldn't bear the thought of knowing his long lost son would stay that way forever. Lost.

He wished that he never came, wished that he could forget that this ever happened.

The boys understood. This was something that they all wished they never went through. All of the things they were hoping for became nothing but a shattered memory.

The engine started up, Carey was fast asleep, and Cody sat at the table where he had his homework strewn across in every which way. He looked out the window at the facility where his brother lived. Soon Justin would leave that place not as a free person, but as a prisoner in his own mind that would be shipped off into a place where darkness would consume him for the rest of his life.

What happened to all the good things that were supposed to come out of all this? Cody thought. This was supposed to be a good thing, something that would be great for the entire family.

No more hope, no more dreams.

Cody let those words play continuously through his mind.

No more hope, no more dreams.

Cody looked at his homework. He had already finished it. All the answers of the universe covered his papers it seemed. But now that a new mystery had walked into his life, Cody wasn't sure if homework was even all that satisfying anymore. The RV turned onto the freeway headed for home. He watched as everything moved so fast.

It was interesting how fast the future could become the present, and how fast the present could become the past. The future Cody always believed anticipated great mysteries worth unfolding, but not anymore. He rolled down the window of the RV and threw all his papers out the window littering the freeway. Something he cared so much about immediately became the past, immediately became a distant memory.

Zack was in the back of the RV, he saw what Cody did but said nothing. He could feel it deep inside weather it was twin telepathy, or a gut feeling, that Cody had changed. His innocence had been scarred. It was sad that it went out the window, but it was time to face reality. Zack couldn't help him anymore. A cloud of darkness had been cast over the Martin family. Neither of them would ever be the same again…

A week had passed since the road trip. Kurt and Carey once again went their separate ways; it was as if they never met. The return to the Tipton would've seemed to be a little relieving. Mr. Moseby complaining about everything, Estaban had returned from his homeland so he was back at the hotel, Maddie and London were back to their usual arguing. It was all back to normal… except a few things.

Zack hadn't said anything to Maddie since the return. The hotel was so quiet and… boring. As happy as that made Mr. Moseby, it still came as a shock to him. He'd never seen either of the boys so depressed, so lifeless when they walked through the lobby. They moved silently through the lobby making no eye contact with anybody.

Cody dragged his backpack around now; it was as if he went through the everyday movements of trailing to school and back. But it was as if he didn't care about anything anymore. He hasn't even spoken to Arwin since they returned. Usually he'd rush over there to tell him about some new scientific discovery he found. He didn't even make eye contact with anybody, whoever tried to approach him, Cody would pretend not to notice him or her and walk the other direction.

Carey was still the headline singer at the hotel but all the heart and passion that was in her singing had disappeared. She was hitting all the right notes, and she still sang beautifully, but something was missing.

Everyone in the hotel was beginning to notice these changes in the Martin family; they were like the ghosts of the hotel. Maddie was the first one who tried to approach the boys, maybe see what was going on. When Cody came through the lobby dragging his bag across the floor, she said hi, Cody replied with a lifeless "hello" and kept walking towards the elevator. Dragging his bag everywhere took a toll on the fabric.

There was a rip and books were sliding onto the floor.

"Cody your books." Maddie said, but Cody kept walking towards the elevator and left them on the floor, the doors closed. This was incredibly odd for Cody to do something like that, so she grabbed his books off the floor and pressed the button on the elevator. She went up to their suite and knocked on their door. There was silence. She knew Cody went inside the room so she knew he was avoiding her.

"Cody, open the door. You left your books."

He cracked the door open to see Maddie standing there. She could only see his eye through the creak on the door. Cody looked at the books and reached for them but Maddie pulled them back. She was trying to get him to come outside the door. Cody didn't budge. He opened the door just a little so he could stand in front of Maddie, she could see his face now.

"Hey. What's the matter kiddo?" Maddie asked.

She could see he was trying to avoid her. His eyes pointed to the ground.

Maddie continued, "I haven't seen you guys running around in a while, is something wrong?"

Cody was silent for a while and then he said with a light voice, "everything's fine."

Maddie was a little frightened of Cody's behavior. He looked a little pale; maybe it was just her imagination.

"You wanna come downstairs? Maybe we can talk… I'll buy you some candy."

"There's nothing to talk about…" Cody replied.

"C'mon, you can talk to me…" Maddie smiled.

"I don't want to talk to you."

Cody shut the door, disregarding the fact that Maddie had his books. She felt hurt that he treated her so coldly. She felt like she was about to cry. Maddie walked down the hall but then ran into Zack.

"Zack what's going on? You and Cody have been acting so strange."

Zack at least put on a fake smile for Maddie; she could see right through it.

"Everything's fine…" Zack replied.

"That's what Cody said before he slammed the door in my face. Is there something going on?"

"There's nothing to worry about… we'll be just fine."

Zack tried to brush his way past her but Maddie lightly grabbed Zack's arm trying to stop him. Zack turned around and pointed his eyes to the ground.

"Why won't any of you talk to me? I know something's wrong."

Maddie looked closely at Zack's face and she could see that there was a small tear running down his left eye. She had never seen him cry before so she was starting to get scared. She started to cry too.

"Zacky what's wrong, talk to me."

"I… can't. I wish I could… but you wouldn't understand."

Zack moved away from Maddie and ran into the suite closing the door behind him. Maddie started to cry harder. She pressed the elevator door to go back down to the lobby. By the time she got to the floor, she had already dried her eyes and resumed her work but she couldn't stop thinking about the twins upstairs.

About an hour had passed and she was in a daze, what could possibly be so wrong that they boys couldn't tell her about it? Her concentration was broken by a sudden "ahem" from Mr. Moseby. She knew he had caught her daydreaming. She turned around to arrange the candy again, she did it four times already but she had nothing better to do.

"Excuse me." A voice over the counter uttered.

Maddie rolled her eyes, it sounded like another annoying customer, she didn't even bother turning around.

"Hi how can I help you?" She said.

I'm looking for someone who lives here. I was wondering if you could help me."

"I'm not allowed to give out that information. Perhaps the front desk will better assist you."

"This is a little important… Maddie Fitzpatrick. It concerns my family. You may know them as the Martins."

"As I said before, I'm not allowed to give… wait. How do you know my full name?

She slowly turned around and saw a little blond boy with strands of black hair standing at the counter in a dark blue suit.

"Oh so you've finally come out of the room, what did you do to your hair?"

There was silence. She squinted her eyes a little and then realized that it was neither Zack nor Cody. Her jaw dropped open and her eyes grew as big as golf balls.

"So… you do know them… it's plain to see why Zack likes you, you quite cute when you're surprised."

"This… is impossible… w- who are you?"

Mr. Moseby looked over to see Maddie talking to one of the twins and he grew frustrated with Maddie taking time away from the customers.

He marched over there to tell her off but then stopped in his tracks when he saw both Zack and Cody step off the elevator at the same time. Then he looked at the other kid dressed in a suit.

Zack was walking towards Maddie.

"Look Maddie I'm sorry that I ignored you like that I…" Zack came to a screeching halt, Cody bumped into him.

"Ouch watch where you're going…" Cody looked up and his mouth dropped open.

Standing in the middle of the hotel was Justin. His hair neatly brushed, dressed in a nice suit, as if nothing happened last week.

"Brothers… it's good to see you again."

Mr. Moseby started blurting out gibberish, the kind where nobody knew what he was saying, but everyone knew what he meant.

Estaban was walking past the lobby with Arwin and spotted the huge scene.

"Oh my goodness… I'm seeing three little blond peoples?"

"No way!" Arwin shouted. Then he began shouting some more, and then he shouted across the hotel and ran away.

What's all the commotion?" Carey asked. Everybody in the hotel was looking at her with wide eyes.

Her heart began to beat rapidly.

"What's going on… did something break?" She was getting scared.

There was nothing but silence. Then from the side of her eye she caught a glimpse of what stirred all the commotion. Her heart practically stopped when she saw Justin standing there as if nothing happened.

"Hello mother…"

Carey grew weak at the knees. She used the nearby chair to balance herself.

"Justin? How… how did you get here?"

"That's not important right now, I think it's best that we all have a little talk."

Justin held out his hand for his mother to grab hold. Bringing her back to her feet, Justin then guided her and his brothers to the elevator. They disappeared from everybody's sight. The people in the hotel just stood there completely frozen in time.

A brand new chapter for the Tipton hotel had begun.

A Brand new Story...


	9. Confrontations

_I had a good response from the last chapter. i'm glad you all liked it! well here's probably where the story is going to start winding down to its climatic finale. so there's about four chapters left i think, i'm not sure. but the story is starting to get deeper. _

**

* * *

**Confrontations

The doors of the elevator had closed. Standing there were four individuals, three in which were extremely nervous, and the fourth, well… the fourth one was just smiling. It was unclear if he was smiling because he was happy, or if he was smiling because he had something planned, or… he could've been smiling because he had attained an impossible victory. Justin was here in Boston, no longer in picture form but truly in the flesh.

It was clear Justin had escaped from his fate but it was unclear how… the good thing however was the fact he seemed to be in a balanced state of mind, nothing like he was when he ran across the hallways at the center, but he didn't seem all that introverted either.

"So… which floor do you live on?" Justin said turning to his family.

Carey, Zack and Cody just stared at each other. Nobody wanted to say anything.

"Oh don't be so nervous, you can't possibly believe I'm here to kill you… right?" He chuckled lightly but then stopped coldly.

Was that a joke? Was that a threat hidden in sarcasm? Justin turned back around and stared at the buttons on the wall.

"How does this thing work again? I remember only being told what they do." He asked curiously.

Justin began pressing random buttons on the elevator; he was enjoying how they lit up. Another smile formed across his face. The elevator began to move upward startling him but keeping him intrigued. The sound of machinery working its way up the floor with pressure increasing on his feet was something new to him.

The elevator kept stopping and going. People came and went with the passing of every floor, nobody being the wiser thought it was rare, but nice to see triplets.

Carey and the twins smiled it off pretending it was normal conversation, even Justin played along. But once people exited the elevator, it was silent again. Silent except for the eerie humming that was coming from Justin.

He was swaying back and forth from his heels to his toes, his hands crossed behind his back, Cody was looking at him from the reflective doors, Justin looked back and stopped humming, Cody's eyes immediately turned away facing the ground again.

Justin went back to humming.

Carey leaned against the back of the elevator; she was totally relying on that banister to keep her from falling on the floor from a nervous breakdown. It was like staring at a ghost, well… almost like staring at a ghost, she didn't make eye contact but she continued to stare at the back of his head and the suit he was wearing. Where on earth did he find those clothes? Did he steal them? Did he kill somebody for them? After that incident the other day, she knew that he was capable of absolutely anything.

The elevator stopped again, breaking Carey's concentration. The doors slowly opened. Standing there was London Tipton, and her very fashionable pet. Not really paying attention, she just squeezed herself into the elevator and was about to push a button but realized they were all lit up already.

London's eyes went wide.

"This hotel is magic! The elevator already knew that I wanted to push a button so it did it for me… wow."

It still floored everybody how air headed London could be sometimes. Cody rolled his eyes, Carey just lifted her hands and sighed, and Zack just nodded his head knowing if London weren't already taken care of, she would've been doomed a long time ago.

Then a thought crossed London's mind. She turned around to talk to the boys.

"I remember what I was going to ask you guys, could either of you take care of my lovely doggie for the next couple of hours? I'm going shoe shopping and I know she doesn't get along with the owner very much."

The twins looked at each other and then looked back at London. Did she even notice there were three boys in the elevator, Justin was standing right next to her for crying out loud, his arm was brushing against hers. London's admirable sidekick began growling at Zack and Cody.

"Be nice… I'm trying to get you a baby sitter." London said quietly to her dog.

"Uh… I think were all going to be a little busy London." Zack said, but London still didn't seem to get the big picture. There was an overcast of darkness brooding in that elevator and she couldn't feel the oncoming storm.

"Oh come on guys, Maddie doesn't want to do it… it's just for a little while. Zack… Cody…"

Then London turns her head and looks directly at Justin, she pauses for a second. Her head tilts as if to ask her brain, who is this? If she already talked to Zack and she already saw Cody, who could this mysterious, other person in the elevator be? Then London shrugged it off.

"How about you, creepy extra?"

Justin looked at her with one eyebrow raised. He then looked at the tiny animal in her hands. He reached out to pet it and was welcomed with doggie kisses, a first for anyone in the hotel besides London.

"Wow… she must really like you. Ivanna's not that friendly with anyone."

"People always said I was of an animal-like nature…"

Everybody on the elevator silently squirmed with that thought except London; that description couldn't have been more accurate.

Ivanna jumped from London's hands to Justin and started panting. He observed the fur ball as it kept rubbing its head on his dark blue coat. Justin looked up at London who was obviously pleading silently for him to take care of her pet.

"…or it could be, you little friend has a taste for the darker side of life."

"Tee hee, you're funny." London laughed.

Justin continued to pet Ivanna stroking her hair and right as the elevator stopped, the gang rushed to the doors, they had reached their floor.

"I'll tell you what… you go ahead and shop, and I'll take good care of your little friend."

"Oh thank you so much, you're the best, so much nicer than the real ones. Yay me!"

London applauded herself as the doors closed.

Justin stood there silently as the sound of the elevator faded away into silence. With Ivanna still in his hands, he turns to Carey and the twins.

"I like that one…"

Justin started looking around at all the paintings on the walls; he had never seen anything so classy. He started to follow the others down the hallway; each new surprise was bigger and better than the other.

"It must be great living here. This is like a palace. The servants and the maids, the royal chambers with a ballroom. This must be what they call a classic fairytale, a paradise."

All of them slowed down as Justin walked ahead of them. They stayed behind, watching him as he observed every wall, every light fixture and the fancy carpeting on the floor.

They came to a stop, reaching the suite. Carey fumbled through her purse trying to find the card key; she was still a little frantic, unable to focus. Finally Zack just swiped his card key and opened the door. Everybody waited for Justin to make the first move so they held the door open for him. He continued to pet the doggie as he kinda drifted into the suite.

The others quickly followed suit and shut the door behind them. It was only a few minutes but it felt like he had been there for hours. Everyone had spread out across the room wondering what to make of the situation. Justin kept circling the room as if he was doing a crime scene investigation, he opened the curtains to the outside and then closed them, he made sure that every source of outside light was shut out until finally it was just the reflections of the curtains lighting the room.

Cody decided to break his silence by clearing his throat trying to get Justin's attention.

"So… would you like to sit down or something?" he timidly asked.

Justin didn't reply immediately, instead he circled the couch a few times and then lifted up the cushions inspecting them, he placed them back down and then he set Ivanna on top. He looked back at Cody.

"You first…" he smiled.

Cody slowly walked to the couch and sat down at the very corner careful to stay away from the growling ankle biter. Justin looked at the rest of the group as if telling them to do the same. Carrie nudged herself towards the armrest and leaned upon it. Zack being the most cautious grabbed a chair from the kitchen table and sat far away enough to keep his distance.

Justin looked at him and let out a small laugh, exclaiming sarcastically," aren't we the skeptical one…"

Zack remained silent he just stared at Justin. Everybody just stared waiting for the next possible command, the next order from a psychopath. They all felt like hostages praying that somebody could set them free. Although Kurt was long gone, Carey felt that she needed him more than ever right at this moment.

"It's awfully warm in here…" Justin said.

He began to remove his coat but everyone quickly stood up expecting him to pull out some sort of weapon. He finally set his coat on the couch and everyone crept back into their seats. Justin shrugged of their fears knowing it was expected. The room went back to being dead silent until Zack finally had enough of all the discomfort.

"Why are you here?" he blurted out.

"Am I not welcome?" Justin replied.

The phone began to ring disrupting the impending feud between the brothers. After a few rings the answer machine picked up and Mr. Moseby was one the line with about five other people in the background.

"_Carey, Zack… Cody, I don't know if my mind was playing tricks on me but who was that I saw in the lobby, it took me by supr… Estaban! Let go of the phone._

_Little blond peoples… Are there really three of you? I can't wait to… Arwin stop screaming! _

…_are you taking good care of Ivanna?…_

…_you left you dog with them London? _

_Not with the twins Maddie… the creepy extra, unlike you he understands shopping emergencies."_

The answer machine cut off. The phone started ringing again but Zack stood up and pulled the phone cord out of the wall. Since he was already standing, Zack approached his brother with a serious face.

"You're supposed to be getting help. How did you get here?"

"You think locking me up forever is supposed to get me help? I've never felt more alive than I do now."

"But Justin you're sick…"

"I don't need to hear that. Not from you. You're the one that told me that I haven't lived yet, that I shouldn't draw sudden conclusions, was that the truth, or something that you just wanted me to hear?"

"You act as if last week didn't happen, you put so many lives in danger."

"Look at the broader picture, nobody got killed, or even hurt."

"You call bleeding noses and electrocuting people not getting hurt?"

Justin paused for a second.

"Oh… that. I think having all of your limbs intact means you didn't get hurt. If you treaded in my shoes, that would be called a blessing."

"Exactly my point, you've lived such a different life you can't even tell if what your doing is good or bad. Your scale measures from bad to worse."

Justin backed away from Zack and headed towards the window. He opened the curtain slightly to look at the outside world, everything was so tiny from up here, just when life seemed to make sense even for a little bit, everything goes blank again and it was back to square one, total confusion. This was not what Justin was hoping for.

"So you really didn't mean what you said… you think I'm a monster."

He held his head down and closed part of the curtain over his face. He breathed a heavy sigh, it sounded as if he was about to cry.

Zack was beginning to realize what he was saying was awfully harsh. After all Justin did go through all this trouble to try and get here, they were the ones to reach out to him first, they were the ones that looked for him, and found him, and now that he was reaching out, Zack was trying to push him away. Before Zack could think of apologizing, the next thing Justin said made his skin crawl.

"I like that." He turned away from the window and smiled.

"What?" Zack's eyebrows twisted into confusion.

"It makes us even… this will level the playground."

Justin walks back towards the couch. He sits down and lets Ivanna crawl onto his lap. Cody does his best to stay far away by climbing onto the other armrest.

"Even? What do you mean?"

"You think of me as a monster, I think of you as monsters too… you abandoned me once before, placed me in this prison called life, left me to fend for myself all these years while you…"

Justin glares at Carey.

"…you pretend I never existed!"

Carey looks at the ground afraid to make eye contact. There was no sense in crying anymore, Justin would not sense her regret, and he would not care. The anger he felt was justified. He then looked at Cody who was shivering in fear of what his brother would have to say to him.

"… and then I see you Cody. For the first time in my life, throughout all my despair, you were the first to reach out to me, the first to see me as a person."

Justin leaned closer to Cody and looked into his eyes with sincerity.

"You were more than just a voice… I cant thank you enough."

Cody manages to let out a little smile but it quickly fades away when Justin finishes his words.

"But then you abandoned me… that's one two many times I should have to endure such rejection."

"So what is it that you want?" Zack interrupted.

Justin backed off Cody and looked at Zack.

"That is the question of the hour isn't it brother. What could this… monster, this inhumane creature, this… soldier, possibly want from you people?"

Justin placed Ivanna back onto the couch, stood up and slid a piece of paper from his pocket. After unfolding it he held it out for Zack to grab.  It was the picture Justin drew when he was in the conference room. It had changed since Zack last seen it. All of the children had giant X's drawn through them symbolizing that they no longer existed. All accept one, Justin.

" I came here, not to learn about your life… but to live it. I want to know the people you know, see the world you have seen, live the life that I was never meant to have. You yourself told me that I haven't seen the real life, so I cant be doomed. Isn't that right?"

"But… you know this cant work. You probably have people looking for you."

Justin angrily cuts him off.

"I don't care! I don't want to end up like the rest of my brothers, dead since the day they were born."

Justin looked around the suite at all the images on the refrigerator, the pictures on the walls, the family portraits, and the school papers.

"I want all of this! The memories, the laughter, the joy!"

Carey stopped looking down at the floor and looked at Justin. She was beginning to realize that he wasn't here to seek revenge, or unleash his anger on anybody in particular. It became so obvious to her that Justin was a very scared and lonely kid. Underneath all those mental scars existed a boy wishing to be set free, he was crying for a chance to come out. Justin was desperately seeking a way to bury his dark past.

A tear ran down Justin's eye.

"I want to feel that my life was not worthless… even if it really is."

Zack wasn't going to say anything else. He just stared at Justin, shifting his focus from both the drawing and his brother. He was beginning to understand just a little bit why Justin was so messed up. Torn against being a trained killer and a psychologically damaged thirteen-year-old boy, he was a wreck.

Cody wanted more than anything to help Justin get better. He felt that as his brother, he should be there when he needed him. Maybe there was still a chance his dreams could come true. Justin was here after all wasn't he? It didn't go exactly as planned but that didn't matter, the journey ended with Justin standing right here in the suite regardless of how it happened.

Carey took a good look at Justin. After all the things they had gone through In a short period of time she knew it would be quite a struggle if she decided to go through with what Justin had planned, but in the end, Carey felt that more than anything, it was owed to him. She owed Justin for a lot of the mistakes made in the past. This could possibly be the road to healing. Maybe this could mend their relationship and he would be able to accept her, and maybe even forgiver her. But this would take a lot of effort; this would not happen overnight she knew that for sure.

Finally as if to relieve all of the guilt from her past in order to welcome a whole new world of chaos, Carey did the unthinkable.

"If this is really what you want… I won't turn you away. Not again…"

Justin looked at her with shock. He wasn't expecting her to say yes. In his being over whelmed, Justin walked up to his mother and gave her a big hug, something Carey desperately wanted since the first day she saw him. She wanted to cry tears of joy right then and there but she knew that it was way too early to start the fireworks. Justin let go of her and for the first time truly looked into his mother's eyes and said "thank you."

Cody, being a sucker for a happy moment ran up to hug his brother too. It was one of the happiest moments of his life.

Zack just stared at the extremely sappy reunion in front of him and wanted to gag from the uncomfortable situation of everybody hugging. But then everybody stared at him as if to say, "Get your ass over here and welcome you brother" Zack shrugged his shoulders as if to admit defeat and crept closer into the vortex of ultra gayness praying nobody had a camera. He gave Justin a light hug and then quickly backed away.

It all seemed like some sort of dream that wasn't really making sense at the moment, why was everyone so eager to welcome this stranger into their lives, they didn't even know how he arrived, how he even managed to find them. It may have been the fact that they were all hoping for something good to happen so bad, that they didn't want to know, they didn't want to have to care about the consequences. It was as everyone silently agreed to ask no more questions. it was time to move on, time to live a normal life.

But sadly… the questions they chose to ignore would possibly be the most important facts they would need in deciding what would be a life and death situation…

As everyone rejoiced in their newly established family arrangement, it was time to create a really good cover story for the rest of the people at the hotel to explain the sudden arrival of this stranger. Of course they would be dying to know about Justin.

Meanwhile… about two days away from Boston, Kurt was back on the road again with his band having absolutely no idea about the events that had transpired. They had all reached a truck stop, so while the rest of the band was asleep, Kurt was in a bar trying to drink his problems away, hoping to forget about the catastrophe that happened before he knew his third son was slated for a one way trip to an insane asylum.

After he finished his eighth beer Kurt was cut off by the bar tender. Now that he was extremely drunk he wobbled his way outside and found himself sitting in the dirt. His mind began to drift.

Was making that trip worth all the trouble and sadness that he felt?

Was it worth meeting his long lost son even though it ripped his heart apart to know he would never be normal thanks to what he did?

Kurt couldn't stop thinking about what happened, this drove him to tears.

In the distance, Kurt's blurred vision was making out a vehicle. As it came closer it began to take shape and he could see that it was a dark limo. It looked as if it was going to pass by but then it stopped in front of him. Kurt stood up from the ground and stared at his reflection across the window, the window rolled down just enough to hear a voice, and nothing more.

"I can help you," said a mysterious voice. Kurt tried to see who it was but a light was shined in his face.

"Who are you?" Kurt asked.

"Who I am is not important, what's important is what I am going to tell you."

Then Kurt began to realize something was very familiar about this person. Suddenly his eyes went wide.

"You…"

Kurt was drunk but he had enough sense in him to know that he was dealing with the person that took his son thirteen years ago.

"You took my son away from me… what did you do to him you bastard! You turned him into a freak!"

There was silence but the engine kept rumbling.

"I told you long ago… that we make it a point to make sure that the child is well taken care of and properly educated in ways that will benefit the world… everybody needs soldiers don't they?

"You made me a promise god damn it!" Kurt yelled.

"Your son was pulled away from his training far too early for him to benefit from it. And now it's too late for him to resume his trade. He is forever lost; whomever he will come into contact with will now be in immediate danger. Much like your family is now…"

Kurt looked puzzled. "What are you talking about? Justin was sent to an insane asylum."

"Or so he was supposed to… but he escaped, he was on the run but now he has been tracked down at the Tipton hotel in Boston."

"Oh my god… are they going to be alright?"

"If you are referring to your family as "they" then yes, but not for long. The split personality that soldier 448891 has was supposed to be a triggering mechanism that would be activated in his brain around the time he was needed, and when the mission was completed, his mind would return to normal. But since he was pulled out of training early, the trigger was not established, and now his mind can flip sides at anytime."

"What does all of that mean?"

"It means, if you don't get to the soldier soon, he can and **will** kill your family. It's in his nature to destroy all living things around him regardless of who they are."

"But how do I stop…"

"Just get to your family before it's too late."

The limousine drove away as fast as it had come. With this new bit of information Kurt realized he had to warn Carey. He rushed to a payphone but little did he realize, Zack had pulled the cord out of the wall. After hanging up the phone, Kurt took a deep breath. It was up to him to get back to Boston as fast as he could before something awful would happen.


	10. A Poisoned Mind

_fanfiction was acting weird so i had to wait two day for this to finally upload. but now the story gets darker. _

A Poisoned Mind

So many things have changed in everybody's lives since the past couple of weeks, the boys discovery of another brother, their mother and father's dark past that almost drove the twins away from ever meeting him, and the fact that this third wonder was so damaged on the inside, that there was probably a chance that nothing good could ever come out of this whole situation.

But seemingly overnight, all of that changed.

Change was something everybody needed and Justin's arrival would bring just that, in fact it would be so drastic that it would effect more than just the twins, more than just Carey or Kurt, it would effect the entire hotel.

Four hours had passed since Justin arrived. After London came back to collect Ivanna from Justin, she skipped down the hall totally forgetting the list of questions she had to ask on behalf of all the Tipton employees. Needless to say, they were upset because she was their only way of conveniently approaching the Martins without appearing to snoop.

It was quite a day. Imagine coming home from a long day at school, avoiding eye contact with people so they don't ask questions, possibly risking the revelation of a deep dark secret, and then out of the blue, the secret is exposed, out on display for the whole world to see, then before you can say anything, you disappear from the scene.

Zack and Cody were going to totally be in for it come next morning.

And then, just imagine what Max and Tapeworm would do or… What if Drew ever found out? Zack and Cody already had to deal with being called clones; this would make his claim even stronger.

Now, the twins might be afraid of the gang of upperclassmen, but they already knew Justin wouldn't hesitate to hand Drew his own ass on a plate; he would literally kick the crap out of him, as funny as that would be, it would mean a lot of trouble. Hopefully, Justin would stay out of the public eye, at least for now.

There was way too much to think about all at once. How long did Justin plan to stay? Would it be permanent? What would be a good cover story?

Oh yes, definitely there would be some changes.

"So Cody, what you're saying is that Justin is our cousin… Mom has a twin… who dated dad's supposed twin around the same time **our** mom dated dad, and both couples gave birth to us all at the same time in different places… and now he's visiting us for the first time in his life even though we were all born on the same day?"

"Well it's a little more complicated than that… you see… mathematically…"

"Oh dear god, were screwed." Zack gave up.

Cody wasn't listening.

"No really, it makes sense... "

"Just stop. This isn't going to work, they would never buy it." Zack said, getting frustrated.

Both boys sat up in their beds restless. Justin was in the shower; apparently he never knew that warm water existed, he had been in there for about an hour. Cody rubbed his hands over his forehead wondering how the heck he was going to come up with a good cover story by the next morning because as soon as the people in the hotel woke up, their door would be the first one knocked on to get the latest scoop.

Zack was twisting his fingers every which way while staring at the ceiling; he was just as stressed out as Cody.

"Of all the times he chooses not to go through an air vent, or even the freaking back entrance of the hotel… he just had to tell the entire world that he was here."

Cody let out a small laugh, Zack looked at him as if to ask him what could possibly be so humorous at a time like this.

"It's funny if you think about it, our life could totally be a TV show. Cody said.

" Nah. I'd highly doubt that people would watch it."

-

There was a knock on the boys' door. Carey came in with a blow-up mattress and a few blankets sifting through them wondering if there was enough. She quickly left the room again and came back with a pillow throwing it on Cody's bed for the time being, and then proceeded to turn on the little gadget that inflated the mattress.

Zack and Cody looked at their panicky mom as she kept coming back and forth to their room with one thing after another. Blankets and pillows were fine and everything but then she was starting to get carried away, bringing a teddy bear, then a vase of flowers, and before she started lighting the scented candles around the bed, Zack stopped her.

"Okay mom. This isn't a cult gathering; it's just a bed."

"I know, I'm just a little nervous. What if he doesn't like it?"

"It's a bed. What's not to like about it?"

"Well you know… I just want everything to be perfect." Carey smiled.

Zack looked at the bed for a second and then turned back at his mom reorganizing the candles.

"Well this looks borderline satanic."

Carey shrugged her shoulders and started collecting her precious scented candles.

"Alright then fine… obviously nobody appreciates classy presentations."

"Hey mom?" Cody started.

"What is it?"

"When soldiers come home from war, they usually have night terrors don't they?"

"Well it depends on the person really. Sometimes they have recurring nightmares, and sometimes they don't…"

Carey noticed that Cody seemed a little sad.

"Oh honey, are you afraid Justin might have nightmares?"

Cody nodded his head pulling blankey a little closer. Carey sat on his bed and rubbed his back trying to comfort him.

"Well… if he does, you can be there to comfort him if he needs it. Justin's had a rough time. He might need to adjust, okay sweetie?"

Cody seemed to be a little relieved; he put his head on his mothers caring shoulder.

"To tell you the truth, I'd find that highly unlikely." Carey smiled reassuring her son that everything was going to be all right.

"I guess you're right. But that's not what I was really worried about."

"Oh… what were you worried about?"

"Its just a thought," Cody said half sleepily. "But wouldn't it be freaky if he has a dream that he's stuck on the battle field and gets up in the middle of the night and tries to slit all of our throats?"

Carey paused for a second realizing that she overlooked that possibility.

Zack froze too. The running water in the background came to a stop. Justin was finished.

…

Zack and Carey were both wide eyed, knowing that it wasn't too far fetched of an idea. But Cody yawned and slowly drifted off.

"But like you said mom, it's probably not likely."

Cody turned over to lay in his bed pulling up his covers. He cuddled his blankey and drifted off to sleep.

…

"Right… highly unlikely."

Carey and Zack finally looked at each other, both looking scared.

Zack grabbed the miniature baseball bat from off the shelf and slid it under his pillow.

"You remember the emergency exits right…" Carey silently asked.

Zack nodded his head and looked at the window exit.

"If anything happens…" Carey glanced at her incredibly naïve son who slept as if there wasn't a care in the world.

"…don't forget your brother."

"Can't promise you that…"

Carey nodded her head in understanding.

"Well I tried."

Justin walked into the room where Zack and Carey stared at him with a sense of discomfort. He was wearing a white t-shirt and some blue swim trunks. It was strange seeing him in some regular clothes, he could pass for normal if he tried. Carey quickly got up and backed out of the room telling him goodnight. She closed the door leaving the boys alone.

For a moment she was tempted to put a lock on their door for the night in case Justin went crazy. No sense in _everybody_ getting slaughtered…right?

But then she thought… there would be no way she could come out of that situation smelling like a rose. Carey could just imagine what she would say to the cops during a manslaughter investigation when they found a lock on the boy's door.

_Oh officer, officer. It was horrible… I could hear screaming and loud noises…_

_**Ma'am why is there a lock on the door?**_

_I figured since they were already goners I should give myself a chance to live on so that their deaths wouldn't be in vain. _

_**If you're that stupid to think I'd swallow that crap, you'd need twice as much sense to be a dumb ass!****Somebody arrest this sick son of a…**_

Carey snapped out of it and headed to the kitchen for a really strong drink, hoping it would take off some of the edge.

Meanwhile Zack was sitting in his bed allowing for Justin to make the first move. Both of them kinda looked at each other wondering what the other was thinking. Zack wanted to make sure that Justin knew that if he tried anything funny that all hell would break loose, so he tried to look a little more serious than he usually was while playing off his fears at the same time. Justin however was in a completely different train of thought.

"Maybe I should dye my hair black again. Staring at two other people that look exactly like me is starting to get a little creepy."

Ignoring the vibes he was getting from Zack, Justin searched all around the room like he was investigating, just like he did earlier. He was very paranoid, always believing something was wrong with the setting, like things weren't allowed to be perfect.

In all honesty, Zack thought Justin was a creepy kid. It was like he was here physically, but mentally; it was like he was everywhere else but where he was supposed to be. He seemed so far away even though he was standing right there, like he was death.

But then again it could be because Justin had to grow up much faster intellectually than he and Cody. After all, since the day he was born, it had always been about survival. That could explain why Justin was able to find his way to Boston all by himself along with a change of clothes, and even with his mannerisms, his way with words, it was extraordinary for a thirteen year old to have such versatility, in fact it was apparent that Justin was brilliant! But like everybody says, there's a thin line between brilliance and insanity. The only question was, which one was he?

After searching over the entire room, Justin stopped for a moment looking at all the walls and the beds again making sure he didn't miss a spot.

Then he stared down at his bed on the floor, stepping onto the cushiony surface Justin sat down, it took him a little by surprise that something should feel this soft. He looked over at Zack who seemed to wonder why he was mystified.

"Is this the first time you ever laid in a bed or something?" Zack said jokingly, but then he noticed Justin's expression. It was one of curiosity and excitement at the same time.

"Actually yes, it is the first time I laid in a bed. At least one like this." He smiled.

After a few moments of trying to settle in, Justin lied back and stared at the ceiling. He looked very stiff as if he was afraid to get too comfortable.

"What did you sleep on before?" Zack said.

" Cardboard."

"And you call that a bed?"

Justin looked at Zack awkwardly as if he was the strange one.

"Well it had a blanket…"

Zack decided to shrug it off and got up to turn off the lights. He quickly got back in the bed and rolled the covers over him. Justin didn't seem that much of a threat. Maybe mom was right; him acting crazy would probably be unlikely. Feeling better about the situation, Zack felt it was time to get some shuteye.

It was such a busy day he could've drifted off to sleep in seconds.

Keyword… could've.

As Zack slipped into a comfortable position in his bed, his eyes gently closed as he was about to go into an ever so wonderful slumber where he could let all of the days troubles slip away until tomorrow.

Then there was Justin.

For a second it would be silent… then… an inconsistent series of squeaks, and rustling.

Then there was no movement. Zack thought perhaps it passed, and maybe he was trying to get comfortable that's all.

Just when he thought it was going to stop, it started up again.

This guy would not lie still even for a minute. Justin kept tossing and turning on that airbed making all these squeaky noises, irritating the hell out of Zack, in which he finally got up from his bed and stared down at Justin. If it was Cody he would have yelled shut up, but in the midst of trying to be a nice brother, Zack put on a fake smile and kindly asked,

"Is everything okay?"

It was too dark to see Justin's face.

Yes, was the reply he got and then Justin stopped moving. Zack lied back down and turned his head towards the wall and drifted off to sleep.

A few hours later Zack woke back up because he heard the sound of footsteps moving across the bedroom in the dark. The only source of light was coming from the outside through the window; Justin's shadow kept passing by stopping to look outside as if he was expecting to see somebody. Then he would find some place in the room and sit down with his back pressed against the wall in a corner.

Zack watched as Justin did this every few seconds. He couldn't tell what he was trying to do, but it seemed a little strange that he would keep looking out the window. Zack, trying not to let Justin know he was awake, crept his head towards the end of the bed to see that Justin didn't even unfold his covers; he was restless for some reason. Then he began to notice that Justin was whispering to himself, answering questions he had asked to nobody, whispering as if there were more than one person talking.

"_Eyes forward soldier… the mission is at hand." _

Justin began crying.

"_(sniff) I have to protect them… (sniff) I have to protect them all." _

He wipes the tears away…a grin forms across his face.

"_Your objective is the mission." _

Coiling back into a defensive mode he covers his head.

"_But… But I can't… I… I can't do that anymore. They told me I was free…" _

His voice deepens, and with the greatest intensity of hatred brewing from inside, he digs his nails into his own face, drawing a little blood.

"_You… are… **worthless**… do you want to die just like your brothers? They didn't prove themselves ready." _

From the light reflecting from outside, Zack could see tears rolling down Justin's eyes, he was whimpering like he was a five year old. Justin rocked back and forth in the darkness.

"_I don't want to die, I don't want to… please help me… please make me stronger."_

Placing a finger over his lips, Justin hushes himself and then wipes his own face off with his shirt.

"_Shhh… Leave everything to me… I'll take care of it…"_

"Justin?" Zack said.

Justin whipped his head over to Zack and wiped his face with his sleeves. He was still sniffling but he seemed to have snapped out of it.

"Did I wake you? …My apologies."

"No. I was already awake…"

There was a moment of silence as Zack stared at Justin wiping his face with his shirt again.

"Are you… okay?"

"I'm fine, just fine." Justin waved his hand as if to shrug away all doubt.

Zack didn't believe him.

"You're up awfully late aren't you?" Justin said as he tried to change the subject.

"I could say the same for you." Zack replied.

"I don't sleep."

"You don't sleep. How is that possible?" Zack sat up now, feeling up to a conversation.

"Well I do sleep… but it's never intentional. Sometimes during the day, if I don't move for a certain amount of time, everything goes dark… and before I know it, I find myself opening my eyes realizing six or seven hours have passed. I guess whenever I don't sleep, my body just decides for me."

"Why don't you ever go to sleep on your own?"

"I can't…"

Justin stood up from the corner and looked out the window again.

"I get scared."

"Scared… of what? Monsters?"

Justin let out a little laugh; he found it humorous that Zack would think of something so trivial as monsters under the bed.

"Well… everybody has their own personal demons that they have to fight with I guess…"

Justin walked back towards his bed and lied down. He was still unsure about unfolding the covers.

"Then there are those demons that prove to be much stronger than the others." Justin finished.

Zack thought for a second, he was curious of what Justin meant since he was known to trail off into some philosophical metaphor about life.

"What personal demons do you have?" he said.

Justin made no reply. Zack didn't know it but Justin had been thinking about that all day long, what were his personal demons? Could this be why he cannot sleep at night, not knowing what's slowly eating him inside?

Justin had been in deep thought since he arrived at the hotel and was thinking about just how much his inner demons had power over him. Could he really tell anybody about them? These demons were so strong, if only somebody knew the half of it. Could he be helped? Could he risk telling anybody that he was slowly losing control over his mind? That little episode that Zack witnessed a few minutes ago was only the surface of how deep Justin's problems were.

"I really shouldn't talk about it… so I wont." He finally said.

And with that, it remained silent for the rest of the night. Meanwhile Zack was still wondering if there was going to be more of these midnight episodes in the future. What was the family really in for?

The next morning…

The night had passed so quickly after that bit of drama unfolded. Zack woke up and it was eight o clock in the morning. It was a good thing that it was a Saturday. There would be no way Zack or Cody could get through that school without breaking out into a nervous sweat. They had a little more time to work with a good cover story before the end of the weekend, but the hotel people had to be convinced as of right now.

Zack glanced over his bed and realized that neither Justin nor Cody were in the room, he was still half sleep. He thought perhaps Cody went ahead and introduced him to the people of the hotel. This of course would be stupid because there was no real story behind Justin as of yet and they couldn't just blab about him being an escaped child soldier. A little panic spread across his face as he was quickly starting to wake up completely, but when Cody ran into the room, what his nerdy brother was about to tell him would have Zack ready to pee in his pants.

Cody looked scared; his face seemed pale with fright.

"Justin's gone… he's not here, neither is mom."

Zack whipped out of bed.

"What are you talking about, I thought he was with you."

Cody didn't respond, instead he kept looking all around him, Zack was confused but not for long.

Zack began to realize that there were papers trailed all over the floor, just like they were in the conference rooms at the center. But that was only the tip of the iceberg. As Zack slowly moved towards the exit of the room, his mouth dropped open when he saw literally thousands of pieces of paper everywhere in the suite. They were all over the kitchen, the refrigerator, the walls, and the doors. Every single sheet was littered with dark and muddy crayon marks, like the entire place had been wallpapered with this morbid design. Everything reflecting his old personality seemed to have come back full force. His art however, had a different theme.

The theme of the drawings had changed from child soldiers to other people. It wasn't very clear at first but as Cody took a closer look, he began to recognize that these people in the pictures resembled the people of the hotel. Mr. Moseby, London, Estaban, Arwin, even London, they were all there, posted on the wall as if it was some sort of hit list.

Underneath all the scribbles in the corner near the door stood three identical kids roughly drawn. From the looks of it, Justin had made it clear that it was he, Zack and Cody. He had given himself black hair again, creating a distinct separation from his brothers.

"What does all of this mean?" Cody asked.

Zack remembered how Justin drew the fangs on all the adults in the last picture he was showed, but neither of the adults in either of these drawings posted over the walls had them, instead the one wearing the fangs was Justin. He made himself into something inhuman, something evil.

A series of thoughts, and words spoken by his morbid brother played in Zack's mind in fast-forward.

"_I'm not human you know" "I know when I'm being lied to" "You should see the way they stare." "It's not easy accepting that you're a freak" "everybody has their own personal demons that they have to fight with I guess"_

"_You… are… **worthless**…"_

"_Shhh… Leave everything to me… I'll take care of it…"_

The very last words Zack remembered were the ones that had the most impact. What was Justin planning to do? What did he mean when he told himself that he would "take care of it?"

The door to their small home had been left open. As the twins stepped out of their sanctuary, they knew that something big was going down. Carey was missing; there was no sign of her. When the two looked down the hall, they saw that the trail of papers ended at the elevator.

As if it was an invitation, the doors had opened.

Zack and Cody both knew that whatever was going on, they would find out as soon as they reached the lobby. Approaching the doors of doom, like Justin's sudden arrival, they once again placed themselves into the hands of fate and watched as the doors closed.

_ohhhh... scariness! are you intrigued? _

_i sure am... _


	11. A Dream Worth Living

_...and yet another really long chapter. once again, i had alot to cover._  


A Dream Worth Living

Zack and Cody were dead silent as the elevator of doom made its way down each and every floor. There were no stops along the way; there were no interruptions of any kind. Dooms day had arrived.

Why did they choose to ignore all the warning signs?

Why were they so eager to let this stranger into their lives?

Everything wasn't perfect but at least they were able to hold on to each other, nobody had to worry about losing someone in death.

Now where was the future going to lead them?

Zack was contemplating all the possible things that could be going on in the lobby right now. How many people did he already kill? Who's being held hostage?

"I swear if he hurt anybody down there…" Zack started.

"We can't freak out. Not yet." Cody said trying to calm his brother down.

"We can't just rush out there Zack, what if he's expecting us? He could have traps. He's capable of any and everything."

Zack didn't care about traps, or even the fact that he was placing himself in danger.

"You realize what we've done right? Don't you realize we let a killer into this hotel without letting anybody know? If anybody dies, it's our fault."

Cody stood completely still.

" Sure they won't blame us, but deep down inside… Cody. I'm not ready to hold onto that kind of guilt?"

…

For once Cody couldn't fight Zack on this one. He was right. Cody could just imagine what it would be like seeing a dead body in the lobby, knowing he was partly responsible.

What if he killed Mr. Moseby?

Even though Justin would see it as another kill, he would have no idea, or even the understanding of how much of an injustice that would be to everybody.

This was the only person that looked past the fact their mom had children, the only real father figure in London's life, the one person that saw his workplace as his own home.

How can you take someone like that away from those that love and need him?

Or even worse… what did he do to mom?

It felt like forever but it had only been moments since they got into the elevator. Cody was starting to feel a little sick. It would be devastating if anything would happen to those they knew and loved.

The twins were five floors away from the lobby.

"… I thought we could help him… but I guess I was wrong." Cody said.

" We all wanted to help him. But sometimes there's nothing we can do. The best thing right now… is to stop him any way we can."

"Yeah… I guess you're right…" Cody held his head down in shame.

Zack could see the hurt in Cody's eyes. Once again his all too well meaning brother was let down again. Life took its toll on his heart. Sometimes there's nothing that you can do to make things right. The sooner everyone could realize that, the easier it would be to deal with the pain.

The elevator was approaching the lobby. Loud voices could be heard as the elevator moved between walls. Zack and Cody were mortified. The voices were getting louder and louder, it sounded like a crowd gathered in the lobby.

The elevator came to a stop, the doors opened and it was so crowded, Zack and Cody could barely see anything else but the back of people's shirts.

"Oh my god" they both thought. How many people did Justin have hostage? What was he doing down there? What was all the commotion?

Zack signaled for Cody to take one side while he took the other, if anything was going to happen, they figured they could rush him from two different sides of the lobby.

This may be the stupidest thing they could've ever done. Why didn't they get somebody with authority, a person with a gun? How on earth would they be able to stop Justin with their bare hands? Their twisted brother was much stronger, much faster than they could possibly imagine. And the more each of them thought about it, their quick decision didn't seem so bright of an idea.

But it was too late… Justin could easily be able to see if either of them decided to run for help.

As time furiously sped by, the boys were beginning to see that their eyes were deceiving them.

The more they made their way through the crowds Zack and Cody were beginning to realize that something was quite different. Nobody was on the ground; their hands weren't even in the air. In fact, nobody was even frowning; they were smiling of all things.

Zack was a little confused, so was Cody. Zack brushed his face passed the crowd and peaked into the center where all the attentions was.

The loud noises that they heard were mistaken as sounds of panic and anguish, and yet the noises that distorted their judgment ended up being sounds of shock and amazement.

Standing in the center of the room was Justin. Apparently he had dyed his hair black again. He was wearing one of Cody's black silk shirts and a pair of Zack's black cargo pants. Darkness suited his personality well. He was like a shadow that crept amongst the light, undying in its attempt to overshadow the lives of everyone around him. Just like in the drawings he made, Justin seemed to have re-created an all-new identity for himself.

What was going on?

Then Mr. Moseby came through the crowd ecstatic with joy. He waved his hands towards Zack and Cody signaling them towards him.

As if that wasn't odd enough. Mr. Moseby telling the boys to come near him? It's usually the other way around. None of the boys had ever seen him this happy.

Was it okay to let their guard down, Justin hadn't done anything… yet. Everything seemed so confusing right at the moment.

"There you are, I'm so glad to see you! I don't know how he did it, but he's done it! He came down here two hours ago, we talked, sort of, and then out of the blue he just started working on it. This is amazing, not even the most skilled craftsman was able to do this!"

"Wait. What are you talking about? What did Justin do?" Zack asked.

Was this some kind of joke, did Moseby even realize he was in the same room with a dangerous psychopath? Of course he didn't. Nobody said anything.

Before Zack got his reply, Cody turned his head and looked with disbelief.

"Oh my god… how did… whoa!"

In the center of the room, stood the Tipton vase. It was repaired all the way back to its shiny glory. Piece by piece was perfectly placed back together as if nothing ever happened to it. It wasn't even possible to see any cracks; there was no sign of it ever being broken.

Zack and Cody got a little closer and stared in amazement. The detail was incredible. Every chip, every nook, all of it was back again. Justin remained silent, as he was still in deep concentration. He was wiping the vase clean of any thumbprints. Whatever he did to the vase, it was so compactly placed back together, he could pick it up, turn it around and even spin it without it crumpling back into dust.

"But how? There was over a million tiny pieces all over the floor… I remember it clearly." Zack said.

"Yeah. Zack smashed that thing into oblivion."

Mr. Moseby face turned sour.

"Ah yes. Don't remind me."

All three of them leaned a little bit closer; Justin finally set the vase back down on the center of the table.

"All done…"

There was thunderous applause throughout the hotel. The impossible had been accomplished. The Tipton heirloom was fixed. Moseby jumped up and down with joy like he was a lunatic and almost a second later, he fell to the ground.

" Ohh… my back."

"Lucky for you that was the only thing that happened." Carey said as she walked through the departing crowd.

"MOM!" The boys said in unison as they both rushed towards her, they nearly suffocated her with big hugs.

" My goodness what's gotten into you two? _And could you ease up a little, I'm starting to lose consciousness…_"

The boys let go, allowing for their mom to catch her breath.

"What was that all about?" she was finally able to say.

Cody was trying to say everything at once.

"You… Justin… you were both like… not there… and the papers! There were papers everywhere! Lots and lots of scribbles, and there were fangs really scary fangs!"

Zack needed to clear up the confusion.

"We woke up, you were gone and so was Justin. And there were creepy drawings all over the walls."

Carey just brushed their concerns aside with a smile.

" Oh that. Don't worry about that, I'll clean it up later."

Carey started humming and then she noticed that Mr. Moseby was still on the ground. She leaned over to help him up. Zack looked at Cody as if to say, " Is she even listening?"

"Mom. What's with the drawings?"

"Oh who wants to talk about drawings at a time like this?"

Carey walked over towards Justin and patted the top of his head.

"And-I-am-so-proud of you. Will ya look at that vase…"

She was nodding her head in approval totally oblivious to the glares coming from the twins, after all, the boys were scared half to death just a few minutes ago, and somebody owed an explanation.

It appeared that Justin had already met lots of people in the hotel before Zack and Cody had to come up with a story to cover his past. He was shaking Arwin's hand; obviously he made a new friend.

"You would make quite a repairman my friend. I can just see it now. You are a natural! You could learn from me, you could be… my **disciple**!"

Arwin's mind suddenly drifted away with all the possibilities.

"That's a lovely offer, but I'm not sure about that yet…" Justin said.

"Just remember. The door is always open for you… if you choose to walk the path of… The Arwin."

Justin watched as Arwin left the lobby whistling the theme of Darth Vader. In the distance, there was a loud bang, Arwin obviously tripped over something as usual. Moments later a small voice gave way.

"I'm okay."

Justin smiled and then turned his attention towards his brothers who were standing there with their arms folded. They were visibly upset that they have been ignored. Justin didn't seem to notice; either that or he didn't care.

"I like that person."

"Nice to know." Zack said in a sarcastic tone, which caused Carey to take notice.

"Is there anybody you **don't** like?" he finished.

"Zack, what's gotten into you? Apologize to your brother!" Carey folded her arms. Mr. Moseby quietly backed away to make an escape.

Zack hadn't made any move; neither did Cody, the one who usually cracked under any sense of authority.

"Boys what is wrong with the two of you?"

Zack turned towards his mother with a look of anger streaking across his face.

"You think there's nothing wrong with leaving without saying anything, or the eerie drawings pasted all over the walls,"

Zack points at Justin,

"No sign of our potentially psychotic buddy right here,"

Cody decided to finish.

"… And then leaving us with the thought of wondering what happened to you, you think that it's nothing to worry about?"

Carey paused for a moment; she didn't know what to say, so instead Justin decided to interrupt.

"There **is** nothing to worry about. Everything is just fine."

Zack ignored him and continued staring at his mother.

"Mom, what's going on?"

"Well…"

Carey let out another smile and looked at Justin who was smiling back, it wasn't one of his evil grins, yet it was a genuine smile, one that could be mistaken as human.

The huge crowd was beginning to disintegrate. Soon enough the room was deserted enough to have a conversation.

"Last night when you two were sleeping… your brother and I had a really long conversation. We talked and talked until the early hours in the morning and finally… we reached a point in which we had a connection. We saw each other on an eye-to-eye level."

Cody asked, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Believe me, if I tried to explain everything to you right now, it would take forever." Carey let out a little laugh.

Although this was a little awkward, it was easy to see that whatever took place last night was not violent. Everyone was still intact, alive and breathing. And Carey seemed to be smiling an awful lot this morning, like some heavy burden had been lifted. Cody was beginning to notice this and for a moment he wasn't all that affected by what happened earlier.

Zack was still yet to be convinced. He stood there seemingly unaffected by his mother's response to his question. He glanced over at Justin who was giving him a blank stare, Zack wanted to like him, he really did. But there were just too many creepy things that his brother did. It wasn't too long ago when Justin said, "No offense kid, I really enjoyed talking to you but there's too many doors between us in which we could never understand each other."

Maybe that wasn't his split persona speaking to him. What he said might not have been far from the truth. But either way, Justin was here, living in his room, amongst the rest of the family. Zack would have no choice but to get used to him. Maybe they would have a point in their lives in which they would reach an eye-to-eye understanding. But for now… every time he was around Justin, he would be taking a chance.

"I'm going back upstairs." Zack said, he was frustrated, realizing that if he didn't brush off what just happened, he'd be pissed off for the rest of the day. Nobody followed him, not even Cody.

Always trying to be the logical one, Cody decided to stay downstairs so he could make sense of everything going on around him.

"Mom. Are you sure everything's okay?"

Carey looked at her concerned son. His eyes were speaking a million thoughts to her as if to send a silent message "is he making you say this?" "Are you in danger?" it was hard to swallow her story. Carey leaned closer to Cody and put her hand on his shoulder.

In almost a whisper she said, "trust me on this one… everything is going to be just fine. I've been set free."

Her eyes began to water; Cody's emotions were temporarily disfigured at that moment. That was a tear of joy. He had never witnessed anything as peculiar as that. Then to add onto the onslaught of odd behavior, Carey hugged her son closely.

"I love you all so much."

She grabbed Justin and brought him close too. It seemed like an eternity before she decided to let go of the two.

"You know what, I'm hungry, are you guys hungry, I'm gonna cook something. Better yet, lets order breakfast from the hotel today. Everybody knows the Tipton has the best breakfast in Boston."

Carey scurried off into the dining area of the hotel to get a table ready. If anyone had been paying attention to the two boys in the middle of the lobby, they would have seen a completely confused kid in pajamas scratching his head, and another kid standing next to him as if he were the grim reaper, all dressed in black with nowhere to go, silently contemplating if today would be the day he would collect another soul.

Cody glanced over at Justin and began to think. Justin of course wasn't paying any attention to him; he was off into his world again. In his mind, Cody decided to officially deem Justin as "Mr. Psychopath," and just for kicks, he was going to entertain the idea of trying to understand him.

"What exactly did you say to her?"

Justin thought for a moment, and then he said, "I dunno… mostly words I guess."

"Never mind…"

Why Cody even asked became a mystery in itself. Why should he even care at this moment anyway, after all, he couldn't argue the fact that somebody put a smile on his mothers face.

Once again, as if by choice, Cody decided to ignore all of his impulses and allowed himself to take another chance on Justin.

Putting on a brave smile, Cody looked into his brother's eyes and placed an arm around his shoulder.

"So Justin, how would you like to meet the rest of the family?"

"Okay… but do we still get to eat breakfast?"

"Of course…"

It's quite comical if you think about it. Why is it that in the midst of total confusion, there always lies some inner hope that things are not really as bad as they are? Was Cody truly destined for inner destruction? One second you think this stranger killed your family, and the next thing that happens, you turn that same stranger into you best buddy.

"So who would you like to meet first?"

As the brothers trailed away from the lobby, all seemed to be going well again, like the Tipton vase, everything was beginning to piece back together again despite overlooking all the flaws. But was it because it was so easy to ignore the big picture? There were still unanswered questions, but at this point, who really cared?

Constant plot holes always occurred somewhere in this story of the lost child. Who was Justin really? If he was truly as brilliant as he seemed to be, maybe he was putting on a show and he had yet to introduce the grand finale.

Meanwhile…

Zack roamed all around the suite contemplating whether or not he was really trying to welcome Justin, or sabotage his chances of being part of the family. As he began to take down all of the drawings, he started to think about this whole situation. He never really did give him a real chance. It was like his mind was blocking out any possibility of Justin ever redeeming himself, ever becoming normal.

But how could anybody ignore the fact that all of his symptoms of a split personality just absent mindedly vanished? He seemed so different from just a week ago, even from last night. What was going on? Which one was Justin, human or soldier. Is it possible for a monster to understand that it's a monster?

"I'm not human you know."

Those were Justin's own words.

Is a soldier really a monster? In truth, a soldier never shows compassion, never cries over a death, and never fears the inevitable fate that comes in being a killer. In the world of a soldier it has always been kill or be killed. A soldier is similar to a bullet, or the blade of a knife, neither one has a sense of loyalty. Soldiers will do whatever they are commanded to do, and without thought, without reason, they soon forget that they are alive and eventually they become something evil, they become the shepherds of death.

But a soldier is also human. Humans thrive off of the love they are shown and in return they learn to love. History has proven that a human is willing to sacrifice their life for the chance of freedom, a chance to be heard, some will die to protect their offspring in order that their family line will continue. So in the end, a human's greatest fear is not death, but it is rather being forgotten as if they had never existed. That becomes more important than life itself.

Could Justin learn to love? It's like he was a robot in need of being re-programmed. Zack stared at all of the drawings on the walls again, realizing that they were metaphoric illustrations. Is this what Justin saw the whole world as, perfect while he was the only one with fangs? How little he knew about the universe.

He came to this hotel wanting to live in this world, the life of a kid. Justin wanted to feel that he was not worthless.

There was a little bit of human inside of him as well as a little bit of soldier. Split right down in the middle. The real question was, which part had more power over him?

There were so many questions to take into consideration, so many of them ignored. Zack wasn't like the others, he couldn't just pretend that nothing was wrong, there was something creepy about Justin, he didn't know what, but it wasn't good. Little did Zack know, but he wasn't the only one worried about what Justin was capable of doing.

About thirty six hours away from Boston…

For the past twelve hours, words of caution kept playing in the back of Kurt's mind.

"Just get to your family before it's too late."

Kurt opened his eyes and it was the middle of the afternoon. He found himself staring into the blue sky. Standing over him was a cop.

"Sir, you want to tell me what happened?" The officer inquired.

Kurt got up from the ground and realized that he had a massive headache. He realized that he was right next to the freeway where the cars were speeding right past him, over on the other side he saw his band sitting on the ground next to the police car.

"Where am I?" He asked.

"Apparently you had been driving under the influence." The officer stated.

The RV was over in the corner all smashed up after going off on the side of the road.

Kurt didn't remember everything that happened last night but he knew that he was trying to get to Boston. He was so panicked that he didn't even take the time to sober up, he was so scared for his family that he immediately got on the road and took off. He was swaying left and right over the freeway nearly causing fatal accidents. Soon enough he eventually crashed off into the side of the road.

"Oh my god… was anybody hurt?"

"Not like you're going to be. That's a certified DUI charge, which means that I am going to confiscate your driver's license, and escort you to jail. How's that sound for waking up to a wonderful afternoon?"

Then Kurt realized he was standing right in front of the only person that could probably help him. This was exactly what he needed. If he could get to Boston with the aid of the police, he could be there in time to get Justin away from the rest of the family.

But then again knowing how cops work; they would just nonchalantly radio in a police unit to go inside the hotel in which they would not be prepared for Justin. Either way, Kurt had to take a chance.

"I need your help officer."

"Tell me about it."

I'm serious. I have to get to Boston."

The officer looked at Kurt strange. Obviously this guy had been drinking way too much. He speeds off into the middle of the night in order to get to Boston?

"… And why do you need to get to Boston?" The officer asked in a sarcastic tone.

"My family is in danger!"

"You think that your family that's all the way in Boston is in danger?"

Kurt was starting to panic. He knew that the officer didn't believe him and he knew that in a few moments he was going to get hauled off to jail, then there would be no way that he could get there in time to save anybody.

"I know that this sounds strange officer but hear me out…"

The cop started to find this situation a little interesting so he decided to take off his sunglasses and humor the drunk.

"Alright… lets hear It." he began to smile.

"About two weeks ago I just found out that my twin children's other brother was still alive. But he is criminally insane. He broke out and is with my family right now, I have to get to Boston before he decides to hurt anybody."

The officer looked deep into Kurt's eyes. Kurt was hoping the officer would believe him. But instead the officer lets out a big laugh. It goes on for about a minute.

"Boy I'll tell you that is the most original lie I have ever heard. If it were Friday night stand up, you'd get an award, but unfortunately, I have lost my patience, and it's too hot outside to just stand here."

The officer pulled out a pair of handcuffs and was about to arrest Kurt until out of sheer impulse, Kurt stomped hard on the officer's foot forcing him to bend over in pain. At that moment Kurt grabbed the baton and whacked the officer in the back of the head knocking him out cold. There was just too much at risk if he was taken to jail.

The band members on the side of the road just looked in total shock as they watched Kurt assault a police officer. The cop was dragged into the bushes in the center of the freeway dividers.

"Are you crazy!" One of the band members shouted.

Kurt reached into the pocket of the officer and retrieved his gun.

"As of right now… yes."

Then he ran towards the RV to see if it was still working. When the vehicle spawned to life, Kurt hauled out of there as if there were no tomorrow.

Everything from this moment on would be like treading into new territory, Kurt didn't know what he was doing, but somehow he was doing it. What was he going to do with the gun? Would he really need it? What if he was too late? Would he be able to go on? And if he couldn't, would he use that gun on himself? After all, failure could be right around the corner, and he had everything to lose.

"So how come we've never heard of you Justin?"

There was a moment of silence in the restaurant. It was still pretty early, early enough to take a break before the majority of guests woke up. The dark haired wonder had drawn such a huge interest throughout the entire hotel staff, that all of them decided to sit in on the breakfast at the Tipton. Even London decided to grace her presence in the midst of commoners in order to find out a little more about Justin.

As a matter of fact when Cody was giving Justin the grand tour of the hotel, everyone just gravitated towards his direction and kept following the two of them since. Justin was like this great mystery, this masked soul. He talked like a scholar, but acted somewhat as a newborn completely oblivious to the things around him. Which one was he? It was impossible to tell through his mannerisms if he was being truthful or sarcastic at times.

Everything about Justin was interesting. When the food was ordered, he said that he wanted soup, and when they asked him what kind, he looked at them as if to say, "there's more than one?" He was never given many choices, in fact he was so confused with the idea behind ordering food, Cody ordered for him instead.

He was given pancakes. They were quite possibly the most delicious things he had ever tasted.

Looking at his empty plate, he was in a sort of daze.

"Justin?"

He looked up to see Mr. Moseby who had been sitting three people across the table from him. It was then he realized that he had trailed off into his own world again.

"How come we've never heard of you?" Moseby asked again.

"That is a very good question." Justin replied. He then looked over at Cody who was about to pee in his pants from fright. He totally forgot about the excuse he was going to make up for Justin's sudden arrival. Now that everybody in the hotel was gathered in one spot, Cody had to think of something really fast.

"Well… uh! You see… um. Mathematically."

Oh great! Cody thought. He was beginning to shake from being so nervous. He totally didn't see that coming, him being put on the spotlight like that.

He tried to say words but nothing came out. Everybody was looking at Cody wondering if he was choking on something.

Justin nodded his head as if to say, "you're completely hopeless."

"I'm here on a visit."

With a quizzical expression Moseby replied, "A visit?"

"Yes. A visit."

Cody looked at Justin as if to ask what in the heck he was thinking.

Justin decided to continue, if it was one thing he and Zack were experts at, it was being able to tell a convincing lie.

"Long ago, when me and my brothers were born, there were financial problems. My parents sent me over to live with my aunt when I was just two years old, and I have been there since. My brothers and I interacted with each other on and off throughout the years but the decision to approach my brothers here at the hotel arrived a week ago when my aunt asked me if I would like to get to know my brothers a little better."

Cody looked as if he were about to pass out. Justin put his arm around his brother in an attempt to calm him down, or at least to keep him from falling off the chair.

"I was absolutely ecstatic." He grinned.

Moseby looked at the equally surprised Carey who just nodded her head agreeing to the story Justin handed the people.

It was actually a lot better than anything Zack, Cody, or Carey had thought of especially being the fact he made it up within seconds.

"Who knows, the visit may become permanent." Justin added.

"That'll definitely be a big change, imagine three little peoples running around the hotel." Estaban said. He was so excited by the prospect of more people that could cover for him whenever he felt like taking an extended break, the more people able to send Mr. Moseby running the other direction yelling "Estaban," the better.

"Finally, somebody worthy of being my sidekick… Maddie, your fired."

" You know London, it's not permanent yet. If I'm fired, who's gonna listen to you talk about yourself?"

"Fine. You're hired again."

Maddie made an evil grin and then began to heavily exaggerate by putting her hand over her forehead.

"I don't know about that… you see, the psychological stress… and the strain you put on me, I'm not sure I wanna come back… if only I had a reason to go on like this…"

London didn't notice her sarcasm.

"How's 200 bucks?"

"Consider me your certified lackey again."

Everybody seemed to welcome Justin with open arms. It was as if he had been there the whole time, and he just happened to come back. Cody finally regained his body movement from shock. The noises from around the table, the clanking of plates, the people talking to each other moved into the back of Cody's head, the only thing that was on his mind now, was his thoughts.

He watched as Justin blended in so easily with everyone. Like a film that captured every detail of the moment, Cody realized that if Justin's story were written in a book, it would be a constant page-turner. Everything was so unpredictable. This was one thing that he couldn't understand, and he liked that. As much as he realized that things didn't go exactly as planned he understood more and more that it was what made life so interesting, just as he thought earlier, the journey ended with Justin right here in the suite regardless of how it happened.

Was this fate?Was Justin destined to return home to his real family, his real life?

His concentration was jolted when he looked towards the entrance of the restaurant, where he saw Zack standing there with his arms folded. He was leaning against the reservation desk.

"Zack, where have you been?" Maddie said waving him over to the tables.

Zack didn't say anything but he waved back and gave a light smile instead. He walked slowly towards the long row of connected tables where all the Tipton employees resided for breakfast. Everybody was especially cheery this morning. Even Moseby was smiling more than he ever smiled in the mornings.

Zack finally reached the table where Cody, Mom and Justin sat. There was an extra chair but Zack didn't bother taking it.

"Sweetie, don't you want to sit down?" Carey asked.

"No. I won't be in here long."

Justin looked at Zack silently wondering what he was up to.

Was this going to be another prelude to false accusations?

"Did you want some breakfast?" Justin asked. He was testing the grounds to see if Zack would respond to him.

Zack looked his way but didn't stare him in the eye.

"No thanks, I already ate."

"What did you eat this early in the morning?" Cody asked.

"Kraft's macaroni and cheese."

There was silence at their table. Zack looked as if he were about to say something but then decided not to. He looked around at everyone gathered around them. It was obvious Justin had quite an impact on everyone, he obviously couldn't be that bad.

"So… what brings you down here?" Carey asked while picking at a piece of toast.

"Are you gonna talk about what's been bothering you?"

"Well… actually I came down her for… Justin."

Justin quizzically looked at his brother. Was he being sarcastic?

"You came down here for me?"

"Yeah."

"What for?"

…

Zack was trying hard to find the right words to say.

"The new skate park just opened today…I thought you'd like to try skateboarding or something…"

This was quite a peculiar moment. It seemed obvious at so many times that Zack wanted absolutely nothing to do with Justin. Was he serious?

Justin scanned Zack's face looking for any implication of false truth. What was Zack up to, he thought. Zack's hands were fidgeting. It was like he was nervous or something.

"You want to take me somewhere with you?" Justin was curious but he didn't let his guard down for a second.

" I figured… we could get to know each other… y'know, for real this time."

" How do I know that you aren't up to something? You made it clear that you think I'm a psychopath."

"I know what I said…and I'm sorry. I never gave you a chance."

Zack was able to stop fidgeting after he said that. It was something important that he had to get off of his chest. He never gave many people a chance. After mom and dad divorced, he made it up in his mind that it was impossible for people to change. Once the first impression was set, that automatically determined what kind of person they would be for the rest of their life. Zack knew that it was the wrong way to look at things, and he knew that he would be miserable if he were to keep that point of view for the rest of his life.

"I want to start over…"

In the short time that Justin had already been here, Zack could see what type of person he was, and what type of person he had become. Justin hadn't so much as lifted a finger in attempt to bring harm to anyone. As a matter of fact, he rebuilt something that was destroyed. That should be evidence enough that things can change for the better.

Justin tried as hard as he could to find a flaw in Zack that would expose his real objective, but he couldn't find it. His expression changed to one that allowed breathing room between the two, releasing the pressure of the intensity. They began to see each other on an eye-to-eye basis.

" I want to start over too…if you'll let me." Justin finally said.

Both were sincere. Although there were loud people all over the hotel restaurant, neither Zack, Cody, Justin, nor Carey could hear anything; it was another life changing moment in which two siblings saw each other as a human being. Everyone could finally start the healing process, and siblings could join together to become a stronger team, always there for each other.

"Alright then… lets go." Zack pointed over to the entrance where he had leaned a couple of skateboards on the wall with a duffel bag full of sports gear.

Cody sprung up from the table nearly knocking it over.

"I'm coming too!"

As the boys ran out of the dining area, Cody yelled a quick "see ya later" to everybody.

They all waved back and continued their conversations. Carey thought for a moment that this was too good to be true. Were all of her dreams coming to a realization? Things this great weren't supposed to happen to ordinary people, only actors in well-scripted movies had those kind of dream lives.

With all these new hopes and dreams, Carey felt that it was time to throw the old life away into the past, where it should stay forever. It was time to move on, and it was time for this songbird to find her tune again.

It was a great day to be outside in Boston. The sun was shining and the weather was perfect. The bus ride to the skate park was a short one but for Justin, he was able to capture a million memories. The people sitting outside coffee shops, the kids running up and down the streets, other people moseying down the sidewalk in their business suits simply out and about enjoying life seemed to have struck a chord inside his heart.

"Why is it that people work so hard to enjoy their life when the easiest way is to just go outside?" Justin mumbled, but it was really a thought intended for himself.

The people on the bus he found the most interesting. Here they were sitting next to each other but nobody spoke. They all seemed to be afraid of each other like a disease. Wasn't the objective of life to interact with the people next to you everyday? Don't these people know that they were put on this earth to deal with each other? And yet they wonder why they are so unhappy. Everybody was so afraid to trust each other.

It was a kaleidoscope of imagery that Justin believed would be enough to satisfy him for a lifetime. There was so much to this life that he was made oblivious to. Each and every human roaming about on the streets and on the bus had a different story to tell, they had lead a different life that nobody else would be able to capture within their mind. Why didn't they share their stories? It would make the world a better place.

The bus approached the skate park and the triplets made their way past the people finally reaching their destination. It wouldn't be interesting enough to say that all the boys did was teach Justin how to skate that day. There was so much more entailed in that journey to the park. There were hundreds of kids running around without a care in the world. Justin noticed that none of the kids there felt that they were in danger. There wasn't an overshadowing monster in their lives plaguing them with orders that lead to their doom. Instead, they were free, free as birds. They had all the potential in the world to let their imaginations take off. Their futures were unplanned, life belonged to them and there was nothing that was going to stand in their way.

The children enjoyed the freedom of not knowing what it was like to be a slave. Like all newborns, they were unaware of how truly evil the world could be. Through a life of pain, today was a day where Justin felt like he could actually be at peace.

Every other moment or so, Justin would roll around on the skateboard but his real reason for being there was to enjoy the atmosphere. He sat down most of the day. Watched Zack and Cody join most of the other kids.

They fit in so well with the others.

This was truly their life and he was just a visitor… just as he said to the people at the hotel. Somehow he knew that something like this would not last forever.

The day had played out as a dream, one of Justin's dreams that he never told anyone of. He used to dream when he lied down from the long days of training. Before the constant tests of survival, the constant blood shed, Justin used to be able to sleep, he used to be able to dream of days when there was nothing around him but a field of grass. It didn't matter what he did while he was there in the moment; all he knew was that it belonged to him and nobody else. Perhaps one day, he could have something like that to call his own.

It had gotten dark and the boys had to return home.

Once they arrived at the Tipton, all three boys ran through the lobby scaring Moseby's guests half to death because they were covered with dirt. Justin was feeling right at home.

The day had been perfect.

After all the boys showered and ate dinner, the whole family parked in front of the television. This was what family was all about, everybody being close together and enjoying each other's company. The funny thing was the fact the TV was never turned on, everybody just lounged about and talked, it wasn't until they stopped getting any response from Justin who had finally fallen asleep that they realized how tiring the whole day was.

Carey let out a huge yawn creating the same reaction from Zack and Cody.

Soon enough the rest of the family drifted off to sleep and ended up camping out on the couch and the floor.

It all seemed like everything was going to come together. All the possibilities in the world seemed like they could be brought to light.

The next day entailed some of the joyous events that happened the day before but in different flavors. Justin learned the art of playing videogames in the lobby with a single quarter, Zack made a pro out of him. Cody taught Justin how to cook his new favorite food pancakes, and both boys introduced him to Tapeworm and Max. Needless to say, they were out of their minds with shock and amazement, just as Cody predicted a while ago when he first met Justin. Within the period of a day and a half, Justin learned to skateboard, dance like Max, play basketball, and smooth talk London (which really wasn't that hard).

Justin's thirst for knowledge was remarkable. Anything he was shown how to do, he absorbed it like a sponge. He had quickly become the favorite among all the people in the hotel. But as the day dwindled down, the truth about Justin's future would soon be revealed.

It had reached the evening and Carey had just finished her concert. Everyone gave her a standing ovation. It was clear that the cloud that was over her head had vanished. Carey had found her soul again and sounded better than she ever did. She was so good that it attracted the press who wanted to put her in tomorrow's newspaper titled, "Tipton Headliner Blows Audience Away."

Everything was going so well that Carey wanted to fix the boys some dessert when they got back upstairs. But to their surprise when they got inside the suite, they saw Kurt sitting on the couch with one light on.

"Dad?" Zack was the first to say.

"Kurt. How'd you get in here?" Carey asked.

Kurt was silent. He just sat there in the dark with only the lamp lighting his face.

"I still have an extra card key from the last time I was here." He finally said.

His voice seemed a little raspy. Kurt looked extremely exhausted as if he hadn't gone to sleep for days. Justin came from behind the rest of the family and then Kurt immediately snapped up from the couch.

He accusingly pointed at Justin as if he did something wrong.

"YOU!" Kurt yelled.

"You get away from my family!""Kurt!" Carey shouted.

"He's a monster Carey! He's dangerous!""Kurt what are you talking about?"

"He's a killer, he can't be trusted!"

Zack and Cody were in shock by the hurtful words he was saying about Justin.

"Dad you don't understand, nothing's wrong with Justin!" Cody said trying to defend his brother.

"Stay out of this Cody! Boys go to your room!"

Neither Zack nor Cody budged.

Justin didn't seem all that surprised at this attack on his character, it was almost as if he saw it coming. Instead Justin tried to show Kurt that nothing was wrong with him by slowly trying to move closer.

"It's okay." Justin said.

It was then Kurt panicked and pulled a gun out of his back pocket.

"Back away from me freak!" His hands were shaking. Kurt had never pointed a gun at anyone before; it made matters even worse knowing that he was pointing a gun at his own son.

"KURT! OH MY GOD WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Carey shouted.

"DAD! CALM DOWN!" Zack yelled. He was so scared at what was happening.

Kurt was so confused by all the voices around him, he couldn't think straight, suffering from a hangover plus the fact that he had not slept for a couple of days, he finally reached his breaking point, he didn't know what he was doing, and without warning, the gun that was pointed in Justin's direction made the decision for him.

BANG!

_uh-oh... I'm Scared!_  



	12. All Dreams Come to an End – Part I

_this will be the first of the final four chapters. i'm working xtra hard on the next chapters because with every story, it's all about how it ends. part II is probably going to be really long..._

* * *

All Dreams Come to an End Part I  


A powerful blast rang throughout the suite.

Immediately Kurt dropped the gun backing away from it. He couldn't believe what he had just done.

He fired a gun at his own son. But somehow Justin was still standing there, unaffected by the life-threatening attempt from his father.

Luckily Kurt had missed.

Instead he had hit the wall exactly one inch away from Justin's head,

it was a close call,

Cody was so surprised by what he had witnessed that his mind couldn't grasp the concept. He collapsed on the floor from shock.

"Cody!" Zack yelled. He was shaking his brother trying to revive him, but to no avail, Cody was out cold.

Kurt said nothing. As tired as he was, he was able to come to his senses and see what a horrible thing he had just done.

Justin stared at him wide eyed, he wasn't scared or anything, just mostly surprised as everyone else was.

It was doubtful that anyone heard the gunshot because the majority of the guests were down in the lobby taking up snacks from the after-party, dining away.

It was odd watching Justin take this attempt on his life so easy with stride. As it seemed before, it was like he saw this whole thing coming. He remained in his position, he hadn't so much as moved a muscle. Anybody else would have ran a different direction, or as thought previously, Justin would have presumably become angry, lunging at his attacker with great force stopping at nothing to end the life of the mercenary who tried to end his.

Yet Justin did nothing…

"I … I …" Kurt stumbled. There was nothing he could say to try and omit the horrible reality.

Instead Justin decided to speak.

What he would say, ended up being completely different from what people would have thought he would have said in a situation like this.

Somberly he mumbled to his father, "So… that's how it's going to be from now on…"

Justin looked around at the rest of the family, his eyes downcast.

He saw the mortified faces of his family looking back at him, expecting him to retaliate like the monster he spent so much time trying to erase from his past.

Justin couldn't stand the fact that he would never be looked upon as human no matter how hard he tried. For the first time in his life, the pain he felt wasn't from a physical injury, it was a pain from the inside that he had no idea how to ease. It was an unnatural feeling unlike anything he could understand.

He was heartbroken…

Once he finished absorbing the shock, Justin finally made his move.

Without even looking back, he left the suite; it was time... time to leave behind the family he had gotten so close to.

"Justin! No! Justin, please don't leave!" Carey was nearly shouting those words.

Tears welled up in her eyes.

Justin didn't want to listen,

he didn't want to be there,

he didn't want to be alive,

he had almost wished that he was shot because the pain he felt was far worse than anything he ever felt in his life.

It was like a shockwave that tore through him. Justin didn't even have the strength to run, he walked, walked away with each step feeling heavier than the last one.

One slow step after the other…

Justin let one thought race through his mind as he moved further away from the door he invited himself in. "It was all a dream wasn't it? Was being embraced as a family member too far fetched of an idea? Did I let the dream interfere with reality?"

Two… three steps after another…

"How could I not see this coming? Why did I not prepare myself for this?"

There were no more steps to take, in front of Justin lay a crossroad…

He wanted to take the elevator, but he decided not to. The elevator belonged to guests, people who deserved to be here.

He took the stairs instead. It was like descending down to the steps of hell where all roads ended.

There was nothing left in this world for him anymore. It was such an empty feeling…

As he spiraled down each floor his soul began to disintegrate into darkness. As a soldier he had nothing to call his own, and now as a human he still had nothing to call his own, nothing has changed, and nothing ever would.

"You have to go after him!" Zack yelled. He looked at both of his parents who were in a daze.

Kurt made no movement but he was able to speak.

He silently mumbled, "m- maybe it's supposed to be like this…"

Frustrated, Carey turned to Kurt with tear streaks of anger.

"DON'T SAY THAT!"

It seemed like hours, but it was only minutes ago that Justin left, he disappeared without a trace, and it was in his nature to do such.

Cody began to stir back into consciousness. He sat up from the floor.

"What happened?" He mumbled.

Zack and Carey both looked at Kurt as if to ask the same question. What did happen? What drove Kurt so crazy that he had to chase Justin away?

There was a blank moment of silence that did not stir. Kurt moved towards the couch. He was in a state of shock.

"I… don't know," he whispered.

Kurt was totally confused. Justin was supposed to be a psychopath killer that had his family held in a hostage situation.

If anything, Kurt was the villain and he could see that now.

"He… he said that my family was in danger…" Kurt finished.

"Who Kurt… who said that we were in danger?" Carey asked.

It was then that Kurt realized that he had been set up. It was not the first time that he was tricked by this mysterious figure. Why he believed him, he didn't know.

More importantly, how did he know that Justin would even be here?

How did he even know Justin escaped?

Could this possibly be a conspiracy?

Everything from the beginning had felt strange. Like all of these unanswered questions were leading to one big gaping hole in the Martin family's lives.

The more Kurt thought of it, the more he began to question the oddities.

The sudden appearance of Justin on television, this was obviously a sign that somebody wanted him to be found.

A very organized plan was shaping, and it was becoming evident that all of these things were not accidents.

The split personality, the very arrival of Justin after thirteen years, and then his sudden trip to the hotel to be close to the rest of his family, the sudden encounter by the same man who took Justin all those years ago.

Where is this leading?

What is the connection?

Kurt could feel that he was being lead into a trap. Driving back to the hotel in a half beat up RV seemed so simple, why, why wasn't he stopped, why didn't the cop he knocked out radio in a dispatcher to have him stopped at all costs? The things Kurt did in order to get to his destination crossed all boundaries of possibility.

"There are just too many coincidences… I can't figure it out I can't seem to understand what all of this is supposed to mean."

Carey stared at Kurt rubbing his face in obvious delusion, talking to himself.

"Kurt what are you talking about, what are you trying to say?"

And then as if lighting struck, Kurt lifted his head in complete horror. He knew what was going on, he knew what all of these coincidences were leading up to.

"Oh my god... what have I done?"

Cody, who had been relatively silent, finally spoke up.

"Dad, what's going on?"

Kurt didn't pay any attention to the question.

"I should've known that one day they was going to come after him."

Kurt stood up from the couch again and placed his hands over the back of his head.

He walked towards the end of the door leading out of the suite.

"Kurt where are you going?"

"To find my son. He's in danger…"

"Danger! Kurt what's happening?"

I don't have time to explain. But if I don't find Justin soon, something terrible could happen."

Kurt immediately grabbed the gun from off the floor and stuffed it into his pocket.

He realized now that he needed that weapon, but he used it on the wrong person.

It was time for him to face the past he had hidden away from the rest of the family so well.

"Keep the boys inside Carey. Don't let them out of your sight."

As mysteriously as Kurt appeared inside the hotel, he slipped away as if he was never there. He had a job to do, and he had a life to save, just as long as it wasn't too late.

* * *

Meanwhile… 

It had been a few hours since Justin had disappeared. Behind the closed stores, in the darkest of alleyways existed the boy who once thought himself human. He knew more than anybody else how well the darkness suited him. With only the moon as his source of light, Justin looked down at the drawing he made of his military brothers. the same ol' drawing he's kept for himself since he made it at the center. The big X's seemed to have a dull glow to them as if the night sky verified the departure of thier souls from this world with a firm conviction.

Justin sat there allowing the silence to consume him. In the distance he could hear rustling in a garbage can.

Out of the can popped out an alley cat with a fish carcass. Making its way towards Justin, it parked right next to him and began consuming what was left of its meal.

They were as different as night and day but they both shared the shadows of the night. Both were rejected by the world, and neither of them could ever find respite within their souls. They were like rocks in a pond, neither had a reason to exist, they just were.

Justin reached over to pet the cat but the angst ridden feline attacked his hand, making sure that he knew that he was an uninvited guest in the neighborhood.

He winced in pain from the cats claw mark spanning his entire right hand. There was some blood glistening from the index finger. The cat ran off in the distance vanishing from Justin's sight.

It was just the darkness again.

Justin took another look at the family portrait he drew, and then he looked at his own drawing of himself.

It was a series of scribbles to everyone else, but to Justin, it was a representation of everything he was.

He finally decided that with the blood from his hand, he would put down one more X on the paper, one last X to finish off the entire family line of blood brothers, his own image.

One slash across the face, due punishment for his greatest enemy, the one responsible for sealing his fate, destroying the life he would never be able to have, and another slash for every injustice he had plagued the world with, everything he had done, everything he would do in the future, and for those he would poison by his very existence. 

It was confirmed throughout the universe, the blood stained across his own image shined brighter than all of the other X's in the portrait, like the universe itself agreed that justin didn't belong.

But the memories, the memories he so desperately wanted to cherish, were they all just figments of his imagination?

The greatest words of inspiration he ever heard came only two days ago when his brother Zack told him,

"I want to start over…"

Wanting to start anew is quite possibly the greatest thing a person could hope for. Was it possible to seek redemption through erasing the past? Justin didn't know anymore. He'd never felt so much of a failure in his life. he wanted so badly to go back to the hotel where it was warm and cozy, where he had some people over there that knew who he was and wanted him to be there. He had met so many interesting people that actually wanted to know where he came from; they wanted to know about him, his story.

Justin could hear cars passing by. It was late so the cars passed by every two to five minutes apart from each other. Maybe one of the vehicles passing by might be somebody that would be looking for him. Maybe his father didn't mean to shoot at him; maybe it was all a misunderstanding. Justin wanted to believe what he was telling himself but he was afraid to leave the alleyway, fearing of what else could happen to him. He was tired and hungry, two things he never allowed himself to notice in his body because he never had time to feel, only do what was necessary to survive the moment.

Justin listened for certain noises while he was in the alleyway. Maybe his brothers got on the bus to try and look for him and they're out searching for him right now. He could only hope, he could only wish that somebody cared about him, the love of a family had presented itself possible and he had already taken the bait, he needed more than words in his life now, he knew what he was missing. There was something new in his world that he realized he couldn't live without. He needed the love of his mother, the love of his brothers, and the love of his father.

With every walking sound, every bus, every car driving, it brought Justin more and more out of the alleyway wondering if what he was hoping for would actually become a reality.

He began to hear young voices that sounded very familiar. He was wondering if his mind was playing tricks on him but as the voices got closer, it made Justin's heart skip a beat with excitement. He didn't want to be in the alleyway anymore, he wanted to be with his family, he wanted this whole dream of his to be an actual reality.

As the voices got louder, Justin finally stepped out of the alley ready to embrace the family that went out to look for him even though he left. But to his disappointment, there were only two ladies walking their dogs past midnight. Justin's heart sank, he felt horrible all over again. Maybe this was reality after all. There are no fictitious scenarios that can come to life.

Justin decided to give it up. He sat on the curb of the street where the orange streetlight shined all over his body to glorify his tragic life.

There was no escaping; nothing good was ever going to happen again. Justin curled up into a ball and buried his head in his knees and cried silently to himself.

If only somebody could listen to his painful cry for solace and comfort. He didn't choose for his life to be this way, it just happened.

Suddenly as if there was somebody there to hear his cries, in the far distance of the empty streets of Boston came a limousine, creeping quietly towards Justin.

The startled boy lifted his head when the lights of the front hood shined on him. Justin stood up immediately and backed away from the curb. The vehicle's engine turned off and for a moment there was no movement from either Justin or the limo.

After a minute or so, the window rolled down halfway.

"I can help you," said a mysterious voice. Justin tried to see who it was but a light was shined in his face.

Justin stood there for a moment not making a sound. Any other person would have shown a slight case of fear, but not Justin. The light was shined in his face, but that did not seem to faze him.

"Do not fear what you cannot understand child. You live in a very cruel world, and I know you've been hurt. The wounds of anguish run deep within your tattered soul."

Justin remained motionless. He was unresponsive to the man in the limo.

"I've known people just like you; desperate, unsure of how things are going to work out, scared of the future. I can help you…"

Justin made his first move by putting his hands on his hips and then he tilted his head to the side. This was not a sign of curiosity, yet it was the birth of an intense moment of anger brewing inside of him.

Silence took over once more and forced a sense of discomfort out of the man in the vehicle.

"I represent an agency"

Justin cut him off. "Stop the bullshit, I know it was you."

A small laugh grunted out of the window of the limousine. Then the voice resumed its deep monotone voice.

"I told you what would happen… I told you that once they heard something about you that they didn't like, they would cast you away. I told you that they would stop loving you."

"That's not true… you lied to them."

"It was a test, a test I told you to be prepared for, and a test unlike any other that you would go through. You know how much we've prepared you, and still… look at what it's done to you."

Justin was too emotionally drained to shout at the man in the vehicle.

"I… I had a life… a real life…" he started to sob.

The mysterious figure softened his voice.

"It seems that way now, I know you're hurt. But that's what the mission was designed for. You know that."

Justin was sniffling through his words.

"I…I Wanted- to! K-know what!… what it was L-like to be loved."

He was having a hard time trying to catch his breath.

"And now you know… now you truly know what it's like to be accepted and then just as quickly become an outcast. It was a necessary part of your training.

You should always remember that the unit is your family, it **always** has been, and it always will be. Your brothers in arms have lived and died to protect the order of how things must be. They knew the meaning of the missions they had to go through, and now you know too. You truly know the meaning of 'sacrificial redemption.'"

The door to the limousine opened. A finely polished shoe touched the ground and then another. And then the mysterious man was no longer a mystery. Justin knew who it was the whole time, and even though he understood the meaning of the mission he was given, it was so hard to let go.

"Couldn't there have been a better way Miles?"

The same man who introduced the Martin family to their long lost brother was the same man who took him away from them not once, but now it would be twice.

Miles walked to Justin and placed his hand on his back in a consoling manner.

"You were always the one I knew would be the most powerful of all the soldiers I ever trained. You have such a strong and willful spirit. It takes much guidance for one like yourself to become the soldier I know you can be, even if it takes more work than the others. But I know in the end, you will prove to be stronger than any of the others ever were."

Miles motioned for Justin to get into the limousine. Justin blindly followed his master no longer able to decide for himself what's right and wrong. He was once again defeated.

"With great sacrifice comes a great sense of redemption on the other side. I want you to always remember that Justin."

The doors closed and the vehicle started up. Such a fear inspiring day when the slave returns home to his master unaware of what the future beholds, unsure of yourself, wondering if you have already chosen a side. Miles was right about one thing. Justin had a very strong and willful spirit. But how long until Justin's spirit would finally be broken by the crushing weight of all those trying to destroy him?

Where was Justin's savior? Who would be there for him, where was his guardian angel? When Justin disappeared with Miles, there was no telling if any of his family would ever see him again.

This wasn't like a movie. There was no train station full of loved ones there to see him off to a better future.

Justin came and went as bleakly and obsolete as a passing cloud, the kind that nobody paid any attention to even though they know it was there.

All of that may be true, but in the distance, without Justin knowing, there was at least one person there to see him off.

Maybe it would have made a big difference in the outcome of things, but it didn't matter anymore...

Kurt had searched for hours for his lost son only to realize that he was too late, he saw his boy climb into the same vehicle in which he was given away, once again to never be seen again. The same thought raced through Kurt's mind again; the same thought that was in his head that one early morning when he gave Justin away…

'What have I done?'

It was like a recurring nightmare playing over and over again while he was still awake.

He couldn't let the nightmare continue to haunt him. Kurt had to do something, but what could he do?

In an instant impulse, Kurt began to chase after the limousine. He kept running and running as if he could somehow catch the vehicle. 

As he was running tears were streaming down his face as instant flashbacks of his boy played in his mind.

The visits to the child crisis center in which he got to see him up close, stand next to him and talk, know that he was alive after all these years and even though he was the one to give him away, Justin showed no true bitterness towards him.

the other thing that played in his mind was the fact Kurt was denying that Justin was gone.

He kept telling himself that there was still a chance... there was still a chance to tell Justin that he loved him, he loved his son as much as he loved the others.

If only he could start over... but it was just too late.

The limousine was long gone but Kurt kept running anyway.

He just kept running and running until he could run no more...

and then he lied huddled in the middle of the deserted street after it was all over.

There was nothing left that he could do except lie in a pool of tears.


	13. All Dreams Come to an End – Part II

_it's been a while i know, but i still plan to finish the story. I know I said it would take awhile but it wasn't supposed to take **this** long._

_so here goes... hope you're still interested...  
_

All Dreams Come to an End – Part II

It's amazing how things can change so fast. Everything was going so well only a couple of hours ago, what happened?

Isn't there supposed to be a moment in life where everything falls into place? Maybe that was just wishful thinking but even people with the most unfortunate circumstances at least got a break somewhere.

Life was just a mix of total confusion at this moment.

Justin disappears.

Justin reappears.

And then Justin leaves again, this time on his own accord…

The cycle may have been broken as of this evening.

It was uncertain whether Justin was ever going to return again?

Time had a way of passing by so effortlessly.

It was now 2 in the morning.

Carey and the twins sat at the table restlessly hoping for Kurt to return home with Justin, hoping that this misunderstanding could be cleared up, and everyone could go back to enjoying their moment of true happiness.

It was still unclear as to what drove Kurt to his momentary insanity. He only halfway explained things as he ran out the door with a gun, telling Carey to keep the boys safe.

If he was making another rash decision, it was probably better not knowing what he was up to, but still they were all wondering what he was going to do next.

Zack looked at the clock realizing that it was the same time it was when they were all at the table being told their third brother existed.

He was sitting in the same exact chair; so was Cody, and so was mom. It was an eerie sense of Deja Vu.

Cody twiddled his thumbs at the table.

He felt a little awkward that he passed out from shock in front of everybody. He was slightly embarrassed that he couldn't handle reality.

It made him wonder if he was really capable of accepting the fact life wasn't perfect, accepting Justin for who he was, or if he would shriek at every imperfection his brother had.

Cody didn't want to think it, but was it really meant to happen, Justin leaving their lives forever?

Many thoughts crossed the twins' minds, but none of them reached the depths of thinking going through Carey's mind.

She was thinking of the first true and unfortunately last conversation she had with Justin only a couple days earlier.

* * *

_Two Evenings Ago… _

Carey laid in the center of the table after slipping away from the boys room in desperate need for a drink, it was especially quiet this time of the evening, she was sleeping away the red wine that had knocked her out cold. All three of the boys had gone to sleep. It was strange thinking of the number 'three'. Tonight was Justin's first night with his reunited family. If that wasn't enough stress to handle, he was also borderline crazy. It was obvious that it didn't take much of anything to put her out of her misery; all she had to do was close her eyes. It had been quite an interesting day, and the evening wouldn't be anything short of another wild ride.

There was a tiny noise drifting into the kitchen that sounded like a far off dream, but to Carey's surprise, when she opened her eyelids half way, Justin was sitting right next to her with hands scribbling across a piece of paper.

She immediately woke up startled.

"Yikes!"

Justin blankly stared at her for a minute creating an inner discomfort within Carey. Then as if nothing happened, he once again faced the table where he was drawing.

She looked at the clock on the stove that read 3am.

"Whoa… it's pretty late. I'd better get off to bed, I have to rehearse tomorrow."

Then Carey noticed that all around her were hundreds of pieces of papers around the house littered on the walls, all over the table, and even some hanging on the refrigerator.

The word 'wow' seeped out of her mouth with little emphasis. It was more of a fearful expression than one of amazement.

Carey watched Justin as he continued with his rapid drawing, briskly scribbling across sheet after sheet of paper.

He had that concentrated look on his face again, tuning out the world around him.

Carey decided to smile it off; she didn't want him to get the impression that she was afraid of him, but then she noticed that he had a few red scrapes across his face.

"What happened to your cheek?"

Justin plainly replied, "It's nothing."

He never looked up.

Carey automatically switched to her motherly mode and immediately tried to fix the problem.

"Here let me get you a Band-Aid sweetie."

Justin with his head still facing the drawing motioned for her to stop.

"Don't worry about it. Wounds heal faster when exposed to the air."

Carey eased back into her chair. For a while she half sleepily listened to the constant sound of scribbling.

It was almost soothing, like the sound of an air conditioner.

She was so fascinated by his level of concentration, even though she knew little about her son, she could see that he was very ambitious.

Nothing could stop Justin from getting what he wanted.

He was a perfectionist.

Drawing one page after another she noticed that he had the mindset of a cartoonist.

While each drawing he made resembled each piece after the other, some were slightly different like he was putting together a flipbook in his mind in which any moment it would all come to life.

But for now, it was just the hard pressed lines of black scarring each piece of paper with bitter emotion.

"So… couldn't sleep?" She finally asked.

Justin made no effort to stop what he was doing, instead he replied under his breath.

"I **don't** sleep."

Carey noticed that Justin wasn't wearing the clothes he had worn out of the shower anymore.

Instead he was dressed all in black. It looked like he borrowed a couple pieces of clothing from the boys. His hair was all black too, the same way it was in the first picture she saw of him.

"I can see you've been a little busy."

She slightly gestured towards his clothes acknowledging his makeover.

"Three identical brothers, is much too awkward." Justin whispered once again under his breath. He tossed another sheet of paper to the ground, and grabbed another.

Half jokingly Carey replied,

"Yeah. Tell me about it."

"Besides, there's too much on my mind, too many questions, for too many people. Questions that keep me up all night."

"What kind of questions?"

Justin's rapid moving came to a stop, he looked at his mother as if she had said something wrong. Maybe he was afraid to tell.

"Well… some questions are simple, and then, there are those really complicated questions that even I don't really understand."

A police siren echoed from the streets causing a stir within Justin.

Suddenly his eyes widened then immediately he slipped away from the table to gaze outside the window.

For a moment he stood there and then he began to check all around the metal frames to make sure that there weren't any cracks, then nonchalantly he closed up everything and placed the curtains neatly in place.

"Why do you do that?" Carey asked.

"Do what?"

"Since your arrival, you've been on some sort of paranoid streak, checking all around the house for things out of place, opening and closing doors an unnecessary amount of times. Is something wrong?"

Justin looked up.

"It's the voice inside my head."

Carey grew a little suspicious. She watched her son's facial expressions to see if he was being sarcastic.

"The voice inside your head?"

"I hear it all of the time, every time I walk through the halls, every time when I try to sleep, and every time I try to think. I try to draw what it tells me to draw so that maybe I can make sense of it all but I end up even more confused. It's the same voice that tells me about the mission."

"Sacrificial Redemption?" Carey quoted. She remembered Justin saying that to Cody when he was at the crisis center.

Justin nodded his head to verify her inquiry.

"The voice warns me of things to come, it's telling me right now… to be very careful of my tracks. It also came to me tonight stronger than ever. It's trying to take over me."

"Have you tried fighting it?" she asked.

Justin stared directly into his mother eyes from across the room, and in a whisper he said,

"All of the time."

The floor creaked as Justin made his way back to the kitchen table. He sat back down and picked up a crayon to continue his scribbling but he paused. Instead he pushed the paper aside and folded his hands.

"Sometimes I think that I'm fighting a losing battle… I think that I've been poisoned with no cure. I believe the past will never become a distant memory. It's like this is part of my destiny, like the ordinary life was never meant for me. What keeps me up at night is the question I've asked myself all of the time… how long will I be able to fight until this war claims my soul?"

* * *

_Knock, knock, knock!_

Carey broke her concentration when she heard somebody at her door.

Was it Justin? Was Kurt standing there with him?

In unison the boys and Carey jumped out of their seats and rushed to the door, after flinging it open, they saw Kurt standing there with his head faced down.

He was covered in dirt, street gravel, and his feet had tracked mud everywhere. The boys had never seen their father look so pitiful.

There was no sign of Justin…

Kurt didn't even have to say anything; he knew that he failed miserably. Regardless, he was allowed back into the suite. He deserved to get yelled at, slapped, everything imaginable to express anger, but nobody did anything. They understood that Kurt was genuinely confused and that he acted out of fear.

Although the family was ready to forgive his actions, Kurt wasn't ready to forgive himself.

It wasn't easy accepting the fact that he bought into the lie so eagerly. There was something that Kurt was not telling the rest of his family, something that was very important.

For now it was quiet. The numerous amount of people at the after party had vanished into the night, people had gone to sleep, if anyone were to stare from outside of the hotel they would only see one tiny light coming from one window up high.

Zack was noticeably frustrated that his brother hadn't come home. Why would something as small as this have such an affect on Justin? He's been through so much worse hasn't he? Although Zack didn't try to sugarcoat the scene of events that had happened earlier, he was not the type to understand the deep emotional symbolism behind the gunshot.

This wasn't about being shot at; it was more of a statement, a statement proclaiming that Justin would never be welcomed in this world. This was something Zack would never understand; he hardly ever had a moment of deep thought and the true meaning behind Justin's departure Zack would never understand.

He treaded into his room and shut the door leaving the others by themselves.

Carey remained in her silent mode of thought; she was taking this pretty hard, as she couldn't stop thinking about Justin.

The only one with enough strength to talk was Cody.

Feeling that he needed to regain a sense of self-redemption, Cody wanted to find any answers that could lead to the return of his long lost brother.

"Dad what happened, you said that Justin was in danger. What did you mean by that?"

Kurt slowly turned his head towards his confused son. What was he going to say to him?

"You wouldn't understand Cody. It doesn't matter anymore. Justin will never be the same again."

Cody couldn't quite understand what his father was telling him, it's like he gave up trying. It wasn't like his father to just readily admit defeat. Why is he acting this way?

"Dad if we find him everything will be okay, he can come back home and be happy with us. He doesn't have to be afraid anymore."

Cody felt strengthened by his own words. He thought to himself, _'Justin made it this far without being torn down, he could find his way back, and all it would take was a little hope. Dad would just have to realize that, Mom too. _

_She shouldn't have to cry about this, Justin would return. Why is everyone giving up? It's only been a couple of hours; Justin needs time to come to his senses that's all. Maybe I should tell all of them what I'm thinking; it may be what everyone needs to hear. I'm tired of losing hope in everything.' _

Cody looked over to his father and was about to say something encouraging but…

Looking at this person, it was apparent that dad was hiding something deep inside, like he had an extremely guilty conscience.

His father was nearly in tears. It was like he knew for a fact that Cody's dream of a happy family would never happen. There was conviction in his worrisome emotions.

Kurt managed to get a few words out of his mouth despite the fact that he practically made a vow to himself to never speak of this.

" It's too late Cody… I saw him. I saw him leave. He… Justin is never coming back."

Cody noticed that his dad's hands were fidgeting. It wasn't like him to be so nervous, something was definitely wrong here.

"What do you mean by that?"

Cody asked, hoping that it was just a misuse of words. Maybe dad meant something different.

"I let him slip away."

Still, those words felt misused in some way. Why does he keep saying it like that? 'You let him slip away?' That doesn't make sense. Maybe it would be better to ask again slowly.

"Dad… what are you say-"

"-Cody!" Kurt snapped.

He was visibly frustrated. The words he needed to say to his son wouldn't come out because even he was afraid to admit the truth.

Cody finally paused long enough for his dad to finish.

"Cody. What I'm saying is… I'm saying Justin went back to his old home."

There was a small pause.

'_That's it?'_ Cody thought. _'That's what you were trying to say? What's so hard about saying that? All we have to do is catch up with him and this will all be over.'_

He felt slightly relieved.

"Then lets go back and get him dad, he couldn't have gone that far, besides it's not really that long of a drive."

" No… You don't understand… Justin went back to his **old** home, he's going to be a soldier again…"

The silence resumed again, this time it wasn't for a short period of time. It was one of those moments when all of the hairs on you arms stood up because you could feel the delayed shock about to rise forth and take over your entire body.

"What!" Zack yelled.

He had just walked out of the room, right into the conversation hearing the earth shattering news.

Carey immediately turned her attention towards her ex-husband.

The color drained from Cody's face. He couldn't believe what he just heard.

"Dad, how can that be… Justin was rescued from that life. I saw it on T.V."

With tears running down Kurt's face, he placed his hands on Cody's shoulders.

"You saw what they wanted you to see Cody. We were all tricked.

From the moment we all laid eyes on Justin we all became part of a conspiracy that ended up helping your brother finish his training. We were all pieces to a giant puzzle. Now that Justin is officially a soldier, there is no need for him to remember or care about us."

" That's BULLSHIT!!! H-How can you say that Dad? Justin would NEVER forget about us, don't EVER say something like that again!!!"

"Cody, listen to me!"

"Y-You don't know Justin like I do Dad! He **likes** it here, he likes being around **us**, he likes going outside to play, and he likes being free!"

"Cody that's not the point. Justin has been raised to believe in one thing, and one thing alone. The mission. It's the first thing on his mind when he wakes up, and it's the last thing that he thinks of before he goes to sleep."

"But he likes it here…"

Cody's voice was starting to drown in the oncoming tears. It was as if he was trying to convince himself all over again.

"Justin has been controlled his whole life, to him, it doesn't matter what he likes, it never mattered. Justin might really want this life, he might really want to stay, but one domineering ruler in his life has overpowered all of his senses. It's because of that, we will never see him again."

Zack was in total shock. This couldn't be possible.

The way he saw Justin's face light up when he took him on the bus ride to the park, he had such a thirst for all the life that was around him.

Or maybe…

Just maybe,

Could it be that deep down inside Justin knew all of this was going to happen?

Is this why he checked everything around him every time he made a move, or when he would inspect all the doors three times, the windowsills, and the curtains?

Is that why he couldn't sleep, is that why late at night he would be talking to himself in a panicky voice?

"Oh my god… this… this explains everything." Zack thought.

For the first time he realized something on his own that not even Cody could grasp…

Justin was never a freak.

He was just a scared kid that knew he only had a short time to enjoy all the things around him because one day it would all disappear.

That's why Justin had to touch everything, smell everything, observe to the tiniest of every detail around him…

He was taking mental notes the whole time.

The memory of Justin's voice flashed back into Zack's mind,

"_That is the question of the hour isn't it brother. What could this… monster, this inhumane creature, this… soldier, possibly want from you people?"_

Zack felt ashamed that he ever thought Justin was anything less than human, even when he kept telling himself not to think that.

" _I came here, not to learn about your life… but to live it. I want to know the people you know, see the world you have seen, live the life that I was never meant to have. You yourself told me that I haven't seen the real life, so I cant be doomed. Isn't that right?"_

The cutthroat words Zack said to his brother stabbed at his own soul. Zack could remember so clearly what he said.

" _you've lived such a different life you can't even tell if what your doing is good or bad. Your scale measures from bad to worse."_

How could he have been so cruel to his brother? Even throughout all the things he said, Justin didn't let that stop him.

"_I don't care! I don't want to end up like the rest of my brothers, dead since the day they were born."_

It was Justin's determination that has kept him alive in everyone's hearts.

A small tear ran down Zack's eye.

He began to understand that the emotion he always fought so hard to shield from the rest of the family was a natural response to his fears, sorrows, and guilt being exposed into the light.

He needed Justin, like everyone needed Justin.

At this moment Zack realized that if he saw his brother right now, he wouldn't be able to thank Justin enough for not listening to him. _'Look at what he has become in our lives'_ he thought. _'Justin was the missing puzzle piece we never knew was lost. Look at what his very presence brought. Mom and dad have never seen so much of each other in this span of time. Sure it was hard for them to pretend hating each other, but you could see that by their actions, they still managed to be in the same room as each other. _Zack wasn't so naïve to believe that they were going to get back together or anything, but the fact that they both cared so much about Justin brought them closer together.

As for Zack and Cody, Justin's arrival has caused a change within those two that has also forced them closer. Zack was beginning to think for himself a little more now that he realized that Cody couldn't do everything for him, Cody has slowly forced himself away from the books to focus on a much greater mystery, and his venture has been worthwhile. Justin was like a complicated riddle that caused both boys to open their minds to different possibilities.

Cody was never really big on skateboards, or any kind of sport really until he tried to teach Justin about it. Now that Zack could clear his mind of all obstacles, he could begin to understand much more about himself, his family, and how hard it would be…

…to imagine life without Justin.

Neither person in that room knew how to express the angst they were feeling. But in the midst of all this, something seemed a little odd.

"Kurt how do you know all of this?" Carey asked.

Amidst the pandemonium lied a simple question that was not ready to be answered.

Kurt froze at that moment.

He didn't know what to say.

Although he knew the answer simple and plain, he didn't know how he was going to let his family know a secret much darker that the one he and Carey had been harboring from the boys. This was perhaps just as sinister as Justin's departure in the middle of the night.

"Kurt how do you know all of this?"

Beneath all the pandemonium lied a plot, a plot that was horrific beyond all reason, even if Kurt regretted doing it after all of this time, there was no turning back the clock.

What's done has been done.

From this point it would not matter how guilty Kurt felt, it would not matter because he would never be forgiven…

"Kurt!"

He looked around at his family concentrating intensely in his direction. He saw worried faces, and looks of concern. It was time to tell everything, everything from the start.

Kurt hesitantly replied, "I know this because I was part of it."

A shockwave of horror erupted a chill down the spines of all bystanders. The magnitude of those words caused a sense of overwhelming emotion within Carey, her mouth dropped open and almost immediately Kurt became a different person in her eyes, as if she was staring at something not quite human.

How was she supposed to react to this news?

What emotion are you supposed to choose when confronted with such a foreign concept like family betrayal?

Do you execute harsh judgment with no mercy to the individual or do you sift through this tragic revelation to find out the one truth that is more important than anything ever could be at this very moment, to ask the one question that could change everything… _'Was Justin betrayed by his own father?'_

The twins backed away from their father like a virus. They would've never imagined their own father having anything to do with this.

Cody timidly stared at his father and became horrified. Of all the possible answers he could've been prepared for, this one didn't even register as a possibility. He felt like he was stabbed a million times in the stomach, he grabbed his sides and slowly sat himself on the ground so that his legs would not give out from trembling too much. He could feel himself break into a cold sweat of panic. Kurt looked down at his son but Cody could stare no more, he turned his head towards the ground and wrapped himself completely into a ball, shielding his mind from what he had just heard.

Kurt leaned down and placed a hand on Cody's shoulder.

Zack's reaction was of a completely different nature. Watching his father stand there turned his emotions to anger and disgust.

"Get. Away. From my brother." Zack emphasized every word.

His hands were balled up into tight little fists. It looked like he was going to attack his father.

Kurt could feel the intensity, he didn't want to cause any more anger but that would prove to be futile. He removed his hand and backed away from Cody. He looked away from both boys only to confront another face, Carey's.

"Kurt you were part of this…why? Why would you do something like that? Why would you turn against your own son? How could you?"

Kurt stepped forward.

"It's not what you think Carey."

She immediately backed away.

"No!" She pointed her finger. "You stay right there! Don't come near me! You just told me you were part of the reason Justin's never coming back, how can it not be what I think?"

Kurt tried to sound reasonable, he tried the best he could to get Carey to listen to him but the moment was just too intense.

"You don't understand. I was tricked too!"

"You know what Kurt, save it for somebody who cares! I am sick and tired of wondering if you are ever telling me the truth or not, I am tired of finding out some newfound revelation that ends up screwing with my life, our kids lives! This time you really have gone **too far**, and I can't keep dealing with this Kurt! What did you do? You know what, it doesn't even matter!"

Carey's face was starting to turn different shades of red.

"I try **hard** to overlook your faults, I **really** do! Every time something like this happens, I realize **why** we split up in the first place!" Carey was yelling so loud she was starting to see stars.

"I think I'm going to blackout," she mumbled.

Zack and Cody rushed over to their mom who was only moments away from passing out. The twins combined their efforts to keep their mom from falling onto the floor.

Kurt was beginning to get a little frustrated; he was taking quite a verbal beating.

Silently he mumbled, "You just never seem to forgive and forget do you?"

Carey let out a small sarcastic laugh then soon she fell silent. She looked up and stared right into her ex husband's eyes.

"It's hard to forgive and forget when you keep doing the same thing Kurt."

Carey laid her head on Zack's shoulder, now she was getting a headache.

Kurt knew it was time to admit defeat. He knew he hurt Carey so many times and this was just another thing to add to the very long list of disappointments. But this time he couldn't just run in a different direction. The truth had to come out, and it had to come out now or he would never regain either of his boy's respect, or worse, they would never want to see him again.

No matter how hard this would be Kurt could not allow himself to give up on this.

"Listen… My role in this came way before we ever met Justin." Kurt said, desperately attempting to plead his case.

Carey turned away from Kurt in anger. She didn't want to hear anything he had to say. She tried to drown out his words.

Kurt knew she didn't want to listen but he kept talking anyway.

"…This was way before we ever had kids…"

Carey still tried to erase his words from her mind. But it wasn't until Kurt's final words that she would begin to listen.

"…This was way before I met you…"

Carey looked towards the horrible creature standing in front of her.

Suddenly she was able to see a glimmer of humanity within his eyes, something was telling her that she should hear what Kurt had to say.

Her tear-streaked face of disgust was slowly beginning to dissipate. Carey knew that she had to listen carefully because the fate of their entire family's future rested within the plea of a man who has made too many mistakes in the past. Regardless, she was willing to give Kurt a fraction of a chance to explain himself.

The boys managed to drag their mother to a nearby chair. Carey was beginning to calm down just a little.

"Kurt… what happened?"

Kurt was surprised; they're giving him a chance…

It was doomsday for him, and he had one shot to save his own life.

"I already know what all of you are thinking right now… but I would never intentionally betray Justin!"

The tidal wave of tension began to settle. Zack's angry face vanished for the moment, Cody looked to his father eager for the much needed explanation.

"Before this moment, Justin had every possibility in the world of coming back. He showed so much promise and so much hope but now… his fate rests in the hands of an insane dictator… a dictator that I met a long time ago…"

Kurt stopped for just a moment. They were all still listening to him despite the fact that he told them the first half of the story; it was time to go deeper.

"When I was 17 years old, I had just dropped out of school with really no ambitions to pursue any type of career. It seemed like the greatest thing to do at the time so I went ahead with a couple of friends and tried to enlist in the army. Needless to say, my application was rejected because I didn't have certain qualifications, but on the same day I was cast out of the only possible future I could've had, a man in a limousine pulled up to me and asked me a couple of questions that didn't seem to matter at the time. He asked me if I had history of mental illness, or physical disabilities, I said no. Then he offered me a job, a job I so desperately needed. I never expected it to come back and haunt me after all of these years."

It wasn't easy for Kurt to let all of this out because he had been keeping this dark secret for so long it felt like he was placing his entire journal of hidden mysteries out on display for the world to see.

Luckily Carey and the boys were holding on to each and every word he was saying.

"What type of job did they give you?"

Kurt was distracted, he paid no attention to whoever asked the question, but he knew everyone wanted to know.

"I was a test subject."

Kurt's legs were getting tired so he sat down.

"It was supposed to be for research stuff like cold medicines, hair products, stuff like that. Well, at least that's what I thought. The things that I went through were completely different. They would keep me for hours at a time, sometimes overnight. I was suspicious about the things they were doing but the pay was just too good. I didn't want to risk losing my job by asking too many questions. They'd give me certain shots that would boost my strength for a small period of time, and there were some tests that allowed me to see incredibly long distances… now that I think of it, I wore glasses for eight years of my life and after they had finally cut me loose permanently from their research labs, I've had perfect vision ever since. After a couple of months, the rest of my symptoms faded away and I never had any side affects from them."

"What does this have to do with Justin?" Carey asked.

"This has everything to do with Justin. Don't you see? They had to have kept an eye on me ever since I left that lab a long time ago, checking to see if anything different would happen to me, something abnormal. Now I'm beginning to realize they weren't looking for results from me Carey. They were looking for results from my offspring."

Kurt watched the expressions of the three confused family members.

"What does all of that mean Kurt?"

"Didn't you find it strange that the doctors never picked up on the third child with their machines in the hospital? You remember that same night when I told you what I had done with Justin, I told you a limousine stopped by and offered to take care of him right?"

Carey's mouth began to open wide with shock, realization and understanding.

"Justin might be a reaction caused by the drugs that flowed through my body. He might have the genes of a monster, I don't know for sure but there has to be a reason they're still trying so hard, someone must have found something. One thing that I do know is this, this is all one giant plan falling into place since before any of the boys were born Carey. That's why Justin's in danger, that's why the boys are in danger. There's no telling what Justin's capable of doing, or if he's even capable of doing any of the things they want him to do, and if he ends up being the opposite of what they want, there's no telling if the same people will come after Zack and Cody."

The room became still. To the boys, all of this was happening in one giant blur. Zack's frustration and confusion was replaced with curiosity.

He silently thought to himself, _'Where the hell did all of this scientific mumbo jumbo come from? What's all this talk about altered genes? This isn't star trek, or some futuristic world full of robotic soldiers. The future is not written in our genes, and Justin is not some kind of alien.'_

This was like one long episode of the twilight zone that was getting even stranger by the minute.

'_When will we all get to actually wake up from this and laugh about it? When will this family get a break from all this crap!_'

No matter how bleak the future seemed at this point, Cody managed to think otherwise.

"Well, whatever they're looking for in Justin, they wont find. He is a perfectly normal kid like the rest of us. Justin's future is limitless with potential and he's going to come back to us regardless of what you think dad, so if you don't mind, I'm going to lay down and put all of this unnecessary pain and heartache to rest."

Cody's face showed courage and determination, but the moment he got up, stepped out of the living room into the dark recesses of his room, he closed the door both to shut out the negative emotions generated by the other family members, and metaphorically to suppress the undeniable pain rushing throughout each and every pore of his body.

He needed to be alone to think.

As he approached his bed and laid face down across the soft pillows, he turned towards the ceiling and began talking to the air.

"Justin… where are you? Come back to us, we need you… we need you just as much as you need us."

It seemed that within every grasp of potential happiness, came an overshadowing cloud.

How tragic to think that whenever something so horrible, so maniacal, so sad happened in the lives of the Martin family, it was to be expected.

Zack was too restless to go to bed; all he could do was stare at his parents who were staring right back at him.

"I… I'm so sorry I got all of you guys into this. I'm so sorry that I'm responsible for Justin being the way he is, I'm sorry for everything…"

"Will you stop saying that dad? You're willing to blame yourself for something you didn't know was going to happen?"

Kurt looked at his son puzzled.

"Well… I am the reason Jus"

Zack walked right up to Kurt.

"Do you realize how close I was to hating you? Don't ever do that to me again! You think I'm going to be mad at you for something that happened before I was born? Jeez!"

Kurt didn't know whether to be relieved or not.

"You mean… you're not mad?"

Zack put his hand in front of his dads face.

"Seriously dad stop talking! There are a lot more pressing matters here! We need to find Justin and we need to bring him to his home, his real home!"

For the first time that night Kurt was able to let out a smile of relief. He thought that his kids were going to hate him forever, and standing right in front of him was Zack telling him to forget everything that happened before.

"You really scared me dad. You made me think you were a monster."

Kurt was so happy he stood up and gave his son a hug, and Zack didn't feel weird about it either.

Carey was able to let out a smile too.

'_Maybe this wasn't as bad as it really seemed. Cody was right after all when he said that Justin made it this far, the things that he had gone through have made him stronger than most adults. It's still possible that Justin could come back to us. All it will take is time.'_

"So what do we do now?" Carey asked.

It wasn't so much as asking a question, it was more of stating the obvious. In this type of situation, what can you do?

Kurt finally let go of his forgiving son and turned around.

"We wait I guess…"

That's all the Martin family could do. Wait.

Wait for Justin, a brainwashed killer to track them down and murder them,

wait for Justin to come home with a smile on his face ready to start a real life with his real family, or perhaps wait for a resolution to this dark and eerie story that may never arrive.

Those were the choices set before them, but there was one thing that they all felt deep inside.

This was definitely not the last they would ever see of Justin.

Meanwhile…

Another time, another place…

There was nothing for Justin to see but darkness.

The windows remained closed at all times and neither the inside of the vehicle, or the sky gave away any source of light.

Only the rumbling sound of the engine underneath gave away the obvious notion that they were all still moving.

It seemed as if it had been forever since Justin left. The orange light that had dimmed the streets with its lantern glow was really the only time his instructor spoke to him. It was unusual for Miles to engage in conversation, as a matter of fact, the most Justin had **ever** heard him talk was when the master was introducing his natural parents to him.

How awkward the whole thing had felt, having to pretend to be confused. The whole set-up had been a laborious task from the beginning. There was so much Justin wanted to tell his mother that one night but couldn't because it would've jeopardized the mission. It was all a test anyway; the child crisis center didn't even exist. Every child there was playing the role of a defenseless soul when in fact every single one of them was capable of taking an individual out with their bare hands, girls too.

The child crisis center was in fact the largest of all training camps in the country. It was so well disguised, and it was the last place anybody would have ever thought to look.

' _Trained from infancy to think of nothing but the mission,'_ it was exactly how Justin had remembered it when the instructor himself made the video that was eventually put on television.

The whole thing was political. Disguised as an advocate for child safety, Miles was able to get everybody to turn the other way, putting all trust into everything he said.

The one thing that Justin never did understand was why, why was he so important? What did Miles want from him that he couldn't get from the others?

After many hours, the doors to the limousine finally opened up letting in a ray of light from the sun. What happened next seemed like a blur.

Ahead of Justin stood a fleet of children, all lined up as soldiers; these were the kids from the center. They were all navigated into a secluded area where there was nothing but the desert sand, and the blazing sun.

Truly, they were in the middle of nowhere.

"What's going on?" Justin asked.

He noticed all of the kids were dressed up in black. Rifles lay in their arms; faces were painted with the symbols of war.

Miles finally spoke to his apprentice,

"What do you see here?"

Justin observed the faces of the kids in front of him.

He could see that none of them really knew why they were there. They stood like soldiers but they had no idea what they were fighting for.

"I'm not sure what I see."

An evil grin escaped Miles.

Apparently he had something planned for these kids, and it seemed that it was not for their benefit.

Then, the master spoke.

"I see the future of war standing right here… in front of us today."

Then Miles pointed off into a far off direction where the rest of the kids, about half a mile away, stood perfectly in line as chess pieces awaiting commands.

Justin remembered this exercise. At this moment in time, the good soldiers were going to be separated from the bad ones the only way it could possibly be proven, war games.

Justin had undergone this training so many times before, but this would be the first time he would stand by as an observer.

For the first time he would be able to see how dark this game really was.

Within moments after the gunshot sounded off, signifying the beginning of battle, these children became monsters. Like rabid dogs, these kids had turned vicious without knowing why, their eyes stone cold, hearts filled with anger and hate.

Once they reached their destination, they attacked each other with intensity unlike anything ever witnessed.

"Yes… I see the future of war." Miles said.

He stood there exceedingly proud of himself.

Justin was becoming increasingly horrified at the shocking events transpiring in front of his eyes.

Everything played in slow motion.

These kids were shooting at each other, beating each other down unaffected by the screams of pain around them. Each act of violence was worse than the other.

"War, just isn't the same anymore…" Miles continued,

" People refused to adapt to one set of rules. War used to exclude women and children and it used to be settled outside of cities harboring citizens but… war just isn't the same anymore… it's about creating new ways to surprise the enemy, surprise the world. You can only create so many advanced weapons until it's time to reinvent the strategy all over again."

Justin looked at his master,

"So what's the strategy now?"

The unsure apprentice was beginning to realize the level of insanity it would take to understand this man who claimed to be a savior to this world.

"Children are considered the last bit of hope left in this world, the last source of true innocence… that is a universal belief. What if we were to take that one belief, and throw it back into the faces of our oppressors?"

Many children had fallen to the ground terribly wounded, emotionally some cried for help, but there was nobody to hear that cry… they didn't know who to cry to, they neither yelled for mommy or daddy because the concept was foreign to them.

"Victory can be found once you take the most precious things life has to offer, and use these elements against the very creatures that cherish them. It's unexpected, it's illogical, and it is a powerful statement to the enemy that nothing is sacred, or untouchable. This is the future of war…"

Justin listened to each and every word that was being said.

It had become so obvious to him as he stood there, watching his brothers in arms destroy each other that these words spoken were nothing short of the truth.

It had become so obvious to Justin that these words spoken came from an illustrious dream of a terrorist, drunken with absolute power.

The fighting continued endlessly until one by one the children fell down wounded with battle scars. Finally a victor emerged out of the battle.

Although this was to be expected, Justin was emotionally disturbed once he observed the face of the remaining soldier. He could see in the boy's aimless stare that he was lost somehow…

The one child that remained standing roamed about without a destination.

With nobody left to fight, he could no longer understand his purpose, and what was he supposed to do now that everything had been destroyed?

It was a sad example of how much humanity had crumbled.

Justin could see this now…

Although the battle was a test, and the bullets fired were rubber pellets, the image of hate had been brutally painted within each and every soul present on the battlefield.

Truly war was not the same…

There was so much to this life that Justin was made oblivious to. When he rode the bus that day with his twin brothers, he realized that each and every human roaming about on the streets and on the bus had a different story to tell, they had lead a different life that nobody else would be able to capture within their mind.

He felt that it would have made the world a better place if they all shared their stories…

But after watching something like this…

'_Maybe some stories were never meant to be told'_ he thought.

'_Stories are supposed to teach something… why would a story like this need to be heard?'_

Justin remembered the kids at the park.

Their futures were unplanned, life belonged to them and there was nothing that was going to stand in their way.

The children enjoyed the freedom of not knowing what it was like to be a slave. Like all newborns, they were unaware of how truly evil the world could be.

Justin could feel another dream slip away from his subconscious.

First the loss of a family that would never come to love him, and the one dream he never spoke of to anybody else.

It was the same dream he reminisced of in the park.

The same dream that involved a peaceful surrounding with nothing but a field of grass, when it wouldn't matter what happened anywhere else.

The dream was becoming more distant… but it was still there. Justin would continue to hold on to that dream for as long as he could.

A pair of hands surrounded Justin's shoulders.

"Your training is finally complete soldier… It's time to join your real family once again. Forget the past… forget the dream, for you are my son now, and I can promise you a glorious future. "

A reluctant smile came over Justin.

He acknowledged his commanders words, and once again he realized that this nightmare would probably never end.

As he climbed back into the limousine, he quickly looked behind him; he thought he heard a voice from far away.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but it sounded like Cody. It sounded like he was telling him something…

"_Justin… where are you? Come back to us, we need you… we need you just as much as you need us."_

* * *

_so... tell me what you think:) _


	14. All Dreams Come to an End – Part III

All Dreams Come to an End: Part III

_Dear journal, it is I Cody Martin. Today is my first entry because today is a sad day. Six months ago, Justin disappeared from our lives. Six months since any of us heard from our brother, and still nothing. I've never kept a written journal of my thoughts until now. It was hard accepting the fact that Justin wasn't going to sneak through the window and say 'Look who's back." But somehow I'm getting through it. Somehow, even though my grades have dropped, even though my lack of sleep makes it hard to concentrate through the day, I'm getting through it. Nothing matters to me anymore! I'm glad I learned how shitty life can be when your birthday comes around and you realize that somebody's missing. And worst of all, he's always shared that day with you, just at a different time and a different place. I was hoping this year he'd be able to see what it was like knowing that somebody out there actually cared that he was alive. But the truth is, Justin's brainwashed. In fact, he's too brainwashed to know he's been living in a hellhole! I can only hope the best for Justin now. As much as I miss him, crying about it's not gonna do any good. The way I see it I…_

"So how's Justin?" Max whispered. Startled, Cody's elbow slipped from under him and his face came crashing down on the desk. The few kids sitting around him let a few laughs slip out of their mouths, but they couldn't get any louder, it was reading time and the teacher was a control freak.

A stressed Cody replied, "He's fine. Don't worry about it."

"You don't look so good." Max continued, she had noticed both he and Zack had gone through some changes recently. Both were unusually quiet and were keeping their distance from everyone else.

"I'm fine" Cody stated.

"Well, you don't look fine. You're just so moody, and your face is pale. Did you even go to sleep last night?"

"Look, can you just drop it?"

The teacher looked up. "Cody Martin, your grade in this class is already on thin ice, I suggest you finish the assigned reading this time."

Suddenly the bell rang. Class was over. Everybody gathered their books together and ran out of the room like an evacuation drill. The halls were crowded; people were bumping into each other. Cody didn't even notice.

"Hey EMO boy!" Max shouted as she was running to catch up.

"I'm not in the mood to be bothered right now." Cody replied.

"Well, whatever phase you're going through is getting old really fast. You talk circles around everybody and now all the sudden you go all mute. What's the matter with you, why aren't you talking to me?"

"Go away. Aren't you supposed to be Zack's friend?"

"Okay. No need to spaz." Max held both hands up defensively.

She tried to ignore the rudeness since she was more worried than upset.

"I guess I'll see you around then."

Max silently walked beside him wondering what just happened.

Why was Cody being so weird? Why was he being so silent? And most of all, why was he walking out of the hallway and crossing the grassy area out of school boundaries.

"Uh, where are you going, class is this way." Max shouted.

He never replied. As if it seemed like routine, Cody walked away and headed home.

Cody already knew Mom wasn't going to be at the hotel until the evening. She had her own way of dealing with this crazy situation as well, by pretending it wasn't happening. She was trying her best but it was easy to tell that everything was not all right in her world. Today, at least what was left of it was going to be dedicated to forgetting about all the problems of life. Cody boarded the city bus in hopes of getting home to claim sanctuary within the safe walls of the hotel where the only people around could care less about bothering him. But when he arrived, it was going to be the exact opposite. He slid into the hotel unnoticed, but found the door to the suite slightly ajar. "Aww jeez. Mom's home," he sighed.

Usually the thought of ditching would scare him but not today. Cody simply walked inside the suite and closed the door, almost slamming it. Cody looked around and spotted another backpack on the table.

"Zack?"

A toilet flushed and the door opened. Zack came out looking relieved and headed towards the television.

"Zack, what are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same question." He replied, falling back onto the couch bed.

"You ditched."

"So did you."

"I couldn't concentrate. So I left school." Cody mumbled.

Zack started to laugh. "Clearly you read my mind."

After fishing the remote from between the cushions, Zack put on a smile as he began to flip through channels.

Cody headed towards the room to set his stuff down. As he made himself comfortable on his bed, he stared at the soccer picture of he and Zack. Not too long ago he had placed a picture in that frame to compare faces with a stranger. Now, once again the picture seemed incomplete. Justin, the missing link whom once again, became the missing link.

The heart breaking reality of a dream coming to an end is a sad, sad moment in time. You try hard to remember as much of it as possible, but by the time you get up, it's gone like it was never there in the first place. Life usually has a way of turning itself around, like it has the answers to the problems it created. It could be thought of as a giant script, with rough drafts and everything. You try to clean up the errors, you try erasing what you didn't like… until you find the greatest error, the real mistake. You. You should have never tried to write the ending in the first place! Justin was who he was and that's how it was always supposed to be. It was wrong to think that this could've ended as a happy reunion. Justin could've long forgotten the person he was when he had a family that cared for him and became the kind of monster he was always trained to be. The very thought made Cody even more depressed, but he refused to let it take over him, not today. Today was going to be a day of rest and relaxation, a time to get away from it all. But right as Cody walked out of the room, Carey walked through the front door.

"Mom?" Zack said startled. Like Cody, he wasn't expecting her until long after they were supposed to be home.

"What are you two doing home from school?" Carey asked with a stern voice.

Zack began to stutter looking for an answer but Cody spoke instead.

"What are **you** doing home from **work**?"

"I'm the one asking the questions young man."

There was an exchange of silent stares. Cody wasn't in the mood for being questioned and Carey just looked plain tired.

"Where's your dad?" She finally asked.

"At work, I dunno."

"Well when he gets here, we're all going to have a little talk about your attitude, your study habits, and your obedience. I am getting tired of you two coming home whenever you feel like it. This is like the fourteenth time you've done this."

"Whatever…" Cody mumbled.

"I mean it this time! Both of you, there is no excuse for either one of your actions." "Yeah, what about your actions mom?" He fired back.

"Don't get smart with me young man. You tell me one good reason you left school during the middle of the day!"

Zack turned the other way to avoid eye contact; Cody looked his mother right in the eye.

"They started talking about him again."

Carey opened her mouth but she had nothing to say. She tried to play it off.

"Look, this conversation isn't going to go anywhere, so why don't you two go to your room and wait for your father to get back." She started towards the bathroom.

"No!" Cody shouted.

"Everyone wants to know what happened mom, there's no use hiding a secret everybody knows about! You act like I'm being rebellious, well what about you! If you know so much about what I go through every day then you tell me mom. What should we tell them?" Cody asked.

Although Carey's face was turned towards the bathroom door, Cody knew that he hit a sensitive nerve bringing up Justin. Even so, it was the same question on everyone's mind. Carey entered the bathroom without saying anything and shut the door behind her leaving the question unanswered.

Ever since Justin left that night, Kurt stuck around the hotel two rooms away, waiting for him to show up again. There was so much he was ready to apologize for; he didn't even know where to start. The one thing Kurt knew he could do was wait. For six months he's held onto a regular job down the street at a coffee shop, biding his time, waiting for that one tidbit of information more important than anything else that could ever matter, "Justin's come back." He'd imagined it over and over again how it would play out. Zack and Cody would run through the coffee shop yelling at the top of their lungs "Dad, Dad where are you!" Kurt would come running around the corner, the boys would have gigantic smiles spread across their faces, Kurt wouldn't even have to ask what they were so happy about, he'd just look outside and see a taxi cab with Carey leaning against the bumper with her arms folded, a radiant glow to her face, and sitting inside the car a shadowy figure unwilling to come out of the car. At first Kurt would hesitate, but then he would work up the courage to get close to the car and take a peak inside. He would glance over at Carey, she would nudge him along and give him the strength to open the door by telling him " Go ahead Kurt, it's okay." The door would slowly open and once he looked inside he would see his long lost son… Justin. The boy in the seat would be motionless at first and Kurt would just stare for a moment. And then… without warning, Justin would place his hand on the seat as a gesture for Kurt to come sit down. He would be nervous as hell, both of them would be, but they would be forced to look at each other closely as never before, side by side. Somebody would close the door to the taxi, Kurt would look out the window startled, but he would see three smiles lined up outside of the window waving to their dad while the taxi would begin to move away from the coffee shop and down the street. The humming sound of the engine would wash through his eardrums back and forth as he dug his fingernails into his jeans looking deep down inside his soul for the right words to say. Justin would be looking out the window towards the city, realizing how much of his life he'd already missed. Kurt would finally say all the words he had prepared so many times before to his boy on that day.

"_Justin, my boy…. My son. I know what you think of me and I know it's my fault for allowing you to grow up the way you have. But I want you to know that, that I am willing to do whatever it takes to make things right. I was young and stupid back then. I know that's no excuse, I know. But I don't want you to believe that I never regretted the decision I made everyday since you left. I'm not a good person. I don't have many things in this life to be proud of. But the truth about being alive is… is, if we have a chance to learn from our mistakes no matter how big, we can always learn from them; especially the biggest ones. Letting you go was the biggest mistake I have ever made. And I've learned something from it, I really have. I know that if you come back that, that even though this is going to take a lot of work, and a lot of patience, a lot of time, a lot of trust, a lot of love… that it will be worth it. All three of you boys mean so much to me; I can't imagine life without each and every one of you guys being a part of it. All three of you have been the greatest achievement in my life." _

That was about as far as Kurt imagined his reunion with Justin. There were only two possible scenarios that could happen after Justin heard those words come out of his mouth. Either Justin would embrace his father accepting the offer, giving Kurt a possibility of redemption, or Justin would laugh at his words and spit in his face. But one thing would have to happen first. Justin would have to come back. And until then, Kurt would stay here, in Boston, wiping one counter after another to pay rent in a hotel.

"Hey Kurt, I don't pay you to daydream. Get back to work!"

"Yeah, um… I mean, yes sir, or… boss."

Day after day he would continue this routine. His band members couldn't wait for him any longer. They all agreed that Kurt had lost his mind somewhere and never found it, so they had gone back out on the road with a replacement. Somewhere during all of this unfolding drama, Kurt stopped caring about the music; at one time, it was always the thing that filled the empty gap inside. Music could never go away, music always created a sense of completeness that at one time worked as a soothing comfort, but recently something much more powerful than endless melodies filled the empty place inside Kurt. He remembered that feeling from long ago, like when he was still married. It was the feeling of loving someone and having them love you in return. The world was complete back then. It didn't work out before, and Kurt thought that feeling could never exist again. But when Justin came back into his life, not as a little baby, but as a person with feelings and emotions, Kurt knew that he made a big mistake when he chased him away again. All he wants now, is to return that feeling back again where everything would be all right.

Carey sat in the corner next to the toilet seat with both hands running through her hair. She already knew Cody wasn't the only one being asked about Justin. He disappeared as quickly as he came, and there was no real way to explain how it all happened. Tears began streaming down her arms as well as the front of her shirt. This was quite possibly the worst thing that a mother could go through. Her son was missing and she knew where he was going but didn't know how to get him back. All she could think of was that one conversation they had together on that one night. It stirred her emotions not just because it was their first time talking to each other, it was also because she was able to discover that her son had feelings, real feelings that only a person with a human heart could have. It meant that no matter what they did to him his whole life, they were never able to take away all of his humanity. That's why it just didn't make all the sense in the world for Justin to have left the way he did. Deep in Carey's heart, she knew that Justin had forgiven her for the past. But the real question was, did he forgive Kurt too? The way Justin walked around the hotel and talked to other people, it was so obvious that this was the happiest he had ever been. What kind of person could be that happy if they truly were not at peace with the world and with everyone around them? That one special day, everything seemed like it was going to finally fall into place. It was a day that started 3 o clock in the morning and ended perfectly into the evening. It was a memory that Carey would cherish for the rest of her life.

"_Justin, what does the voice inside your head tell you?"_

The dark haired child looked towards his mother with both a sense of fear and faith of what he knew to be true.

"The voice warns me of things to come, it's telling me right now… to be very careful of my tracks. It also came to me tonight stronger than ever. It's trying to take over me."

"Have you tried fighting it?"

Justin stared directly into his mother eyes from across the room, and in a whisper he said,

"All of the time."

The floor creaked as Justin made his way back to the kitchen table. He sat back down and picked up a crayon to continue his scribbling but he paused. Instead he pushed the paper aside and folded his hands.

"It's like fighting a war you know you're going to lose… the past is never going to go away. I was never meant to live a normal life."

Justin took a few breaths and placed the crayon onto the table.

" So, I guess the question that keeps me up all night, is how long will I be able to fight until this war claims my soul?"

Carey looked at her son and knew that this inner battle, this demon, has haunted him for a very, very long time. She studied the dark circles around his eyes from the lack of sleep, she noticed the little tremors that both of his hands were making, and she knew from the look on his face, Justin had never dared to tell anybody this secret until this very night.

"I'm destined to fail." He finished.

Then suddenly a small tear ran down Justin's face. Even though Carey could hardly understand what her son was talking about, she knew that it was time for him to erase the bleak vision of his future and see that there really was something more to this life than he previously imagined.

"Listen… Justin."

Carey brought her hand under her sons chin and lifted his face up to meet hers.

"I want you to listen to my words very carefully because you've probably never heard anything like this come from anybody in your entire life and it's time you heard it now. It's time you heard it from somebody that loves you and is willing to love you for always and forever, not because you are some soldier, some weapon of mass destruction, or some kind of evil monster that can be used for some sadistic purpose, but loved because you are a human being with flesh and blood, capable of anything and everything good…"

Carey brought Justin's face closer to hers so that they were looking at each other eye to eye, and with the most sincere, the most honest, and the most refreshing voice, Carey said words more powerful than any commander Justin had ever heard.

"You-are-**not**-a-failure."

Both of them were completely silent. Justin didn't know how to process what he had just heard. It wasn't an order he had to obey, or a verbal attack. The direct eye contact made him nervous so he tried to turn away. But Carey didn't let his face go. Justin was confused. Carey followed his eyes and looked into them again.

"Look at me Justin. You-are-**not**-a-failure."

Still confused, Justin replied.

"Um… okay."

He tried to turn his head away again but still, Carey would not let go.

"What?" Justin said frustrated.

"Listen to what I have to say Justin. You-are-**NOT**-a-failure."

"Okay, okay, I believe you. You made your point. Can you let go of my face?"

Still, Carey would not let go; she would not let Justin escape her eyes.

"You-are-**not**-a-failure."

And without warning Justin's eyes began to water, a lump grew in his throat; he didn't like that feeling one bit.

"Let go of my face now!" he said.

But Carey wouldn't let him go. She brought herself closer to Justin whose hands defensively balled into fists and rose towards Carey face.

"You-are-**not**-a-failure."

He had the ability to strangle a full-grown man with his bare hands but on that one night, Justin had no power whatsoever to defend himself against a soft hand clutched under his chin. As Carey reminisced, she could remember her son's expression.

"Stop it!" Justin said. He tried to be demanding that night, but it almost sounded as if he were begging.

"**You**-are-**not**-a-**failure** Justin."

And that was it. Justin broke down and began to cry uncontrollably. It was true; Justin had never heard words like that before. It was an emotionally crippling moment in which he found it difficult to retain composure. After all the hardcore training, he was still a little kid. Carey held onto him tight. She told him that everything would be all right if he was willing to give this life a chance. But it would be a challenge unlike anything he had ever gone through before. He would have to completely reprogram his way of thinking if he were to ever function in society. Carey had told him all of these things, and it seemed like he was responding to those words in a positive way. Time had gone by so quickly that night; it was almost unbelievable that the sun was beginning to come out. As it came to be the next morning, they both left the hotel early that morning and went down to the lobby. It was the normal routine. Estaban was carrying baggage through the hotel, Maddie was opening the candy counter, and there was Mr. Moseby the workaholic desperately trying to find an art-restoring specialist in the yellow pages to bring the Tipton heirloom back to life. And there was Justin, putting the vase back together like assembling something as simple as legos. Carey could see by the people's reaction to Justin that he would have no problem trying to fit in. When the other boys had come running down to the lobby that morning in panic, even they were amazed at Justin. Justin toured the city that day and went to the park like every other kid would do. He got to taste life for the first time and by the look on his face it was so easy to see that he enjoyed every moment of it.

So, as of now, Carey sat in the bathroom thinking about all of these things, she continues to ask herself why. Why did Justin choose to leave the way he did. He could've abandoned that horrible life he used to have for something much greater, why did he go back?

There was a light tapping on the bathroom door. It was Cody trying to make peace. Mom had been in there for an hour so he figured that she was still mad at him.

"Mom?"

Silence followed.

"I'm sorry for what I said. Can you please come out?"

Carey finally opened the door to the bathroom wiping away the tears from her red eyes. She looked at Cody and smiled.

"You are very special to me… I just wanted you to know that."

Cody looked at his mom knowing that she was really torn up from the inside out.

"Mom I'm… I'm sorry, I, I'm just frustrated that's all. I didn't mean to talk back to you."

Carey continued smiling and placed her hand under Cody's chin.

" I want you to promise me one thing."

She looked up towards Zack.

"Both of you. I want you to promise me that, if anything bad ever happened, no matter how angry I might get, no matter how upset your father gets, I don't ever want you to run away, ever. I mean… never ever. There's always a better way. Promise me."

Cody hugged his mom close and buried his face in her shoulder.

"Okay mom, I promise."

Zack walked up to his mom and gave her a hug too.

" I promise too. None of us are ever going to leave you."

For a moment the peace that once dwelled within their household was restored. The unbreakable bond between the three had once again strengthened. Even after all of the drama, in the end, the three individuals surrounding each other managed to come back together in their greatest time of need.

" Everything is going to turn out fine, one way or another." Carey finally said.

Cody lifted his head up.

" But mom, everyone's starting to ask about Justin. What should we tell them?"

" Oh, sweetie…"

Before she could reply, a different voice answered.

"You tell them the truth."

All three of them turned their heads. Immediately they recognized the figure that stood in their doorway. His hair had faded. Dressed in black to avoid cautious eyes, he stood triumphantly as if to announce his victorious return. At first it seemed like an illusion, much like the first time they had ever seen him. The dark haired child that captured the hearts of those he'd encountered numerous amounts of times beforehand stood right there, but he was different. No longer were his eyes cold and tortured, like he had no understanding of life. But now, he had come back with a true understanding of what it meant to be alive, and you could see it in his face because he had that missing sparkle in his eye.

"You tell them that Justin's here at home, with his family."

Zack and Cody were both at a stand still. Cody walked a little closer and squinted his eyes almost disbelievingly.

"You really are real." He said.

Justin let out a smile since he knew at one time those were his words.

"I think this is the first time I've realized that," he said.

Justin looked over towards his mother who seemed only seconds away from losing her mind with uncontrollable emotion.

"I know now that the choices I make in this life are mine… I don't have to be a failure."

Carey ran up to Justin with arms open wide but before she got there, Justin pointed.

"Stop right there."

Carey was confused. So were the boys.

"Please don't take this as rejection. But there is something that you must know if we are going to do this again. Things didn't work out before, not because of what happened that night, but because I realized that none of you really knew everything about me."

Zack smiled, "Justin, there's nothing that you can say or do that would make us think any different of you."

"Yeah, we don't care what happened. You're family." Cody finished.

Justin nodded his head despairingly.

"No… you have to know. You really have to. Before there can be a happy ending, you have to know the whole story. And if you know everything about me and still want this to work, there will be some VERY big changes in all of our lives. If you choose to accept me for what I really am, you can never go back to the way things are right now. It will NEVER be the same ever again.

_Meanwhile._

He stared at the broken dishes on the floor. The manager was tapping his foot with arms folded.

"Dammit Kurt, you can't do anything right!"

It was the lunch crowd so it was busy. There was no use pretending. Kurt knew he was a horrible bus boy. There really was only one thing he was ever good at, and that was music. After living life on the road for so long, the ordinary job was quite the obstacle course.

"Look, I said I was sorry."

"You see that's the thing, you're sorry for everything. You're sorry the dishes aren't clean, you're sorry the floor wasn't swept right, you're sorry for this, for that, for everything. Look, Kurt. This is not working out."

"Are you firing me?"

"A zit faced dimwit could do this job. You practically fired yourself."

Kurt undid his dishwashing apron as his boss stormed into the back room. He took a deep breath and found a stool to sit down on. He pulled his hair back and leaned over, placing his elbows on the counter.

"Great… now what."

Kurt was never the type to plan ahead. He wasn't new at being fired. In fact that's how he lost most of his jobs. He knew all the signs were there. He knew that his boss was going to have the talk with him one way or the other. But still, Kurt didn't even think to go hunt for another job. That was probably his greatest weakness. Even though he saw something bad coming, he never got out of the way. He always let it hit straight on where the impact was greatest. Normally when people get fired, they leave immediately to avoid further embarrassment, but not Kurt. He hung around the shop for almost an hour buying cup after cup of ice-blended coffee. He didn't want to go home. Every time he got into his suite two doors away from the boys he would always remember that he was an outsider. He pulled a small photo out of his wallet and looked at it carefully. It was Carey with the boys when they were two. Knowing the relationship his boys had with their mom reminded him of how close he was with Carey at one time. He had tried so hard to erase whatever feelings he had for her by keeping their relationship strictly as a friendship. But these past few months had become difficult. Every time he looked at her, she would look back, and then he would have to turn away as if he were looking somewhere else. She had such a beautiful smile, and her hair shined brighter than it did when they were younger. It was getting harder and harder to even talk to her. Kurt questioned himself why, why did he choose the Tipton hotel as his place of residence. Almost every single paycheck he made went towards the rent of this upscale room where rich people spend one night or two. But to have stayed at that place for six months instead of a cheap apartment a few blocks down said something about him. Kurt was still head over heels in love with Carey. He knew that if it went anywhere it could lead to disaster again, but he wasn't getting out of the way. He knew where the road was going to lead and he knew that the impact would be great, and yet he stayed. He knew he was an idiot, but for some reason Kurt couldn't stop smiling at the picture. He could hear the voices of his kids now. 'Dad, Dad where are you.' He sighed while cherishing the aged picture. Then, Kurt curiously popped his head up. He really could hear voices.

Suddenly, the doors to the café swung wide open. Zack and Cody came running through the coffee shop yelling at the top of their lungs.

"Dad… Dad where are you!"

Kurt hopped out of his stool and came running around the corner.

"Boys?" Both Zack and Cody turned around and ran up to their dad with gigantic smiles.

"What's going on guys?" Both boys turned their heads outside. A taxi had parked on the curb with Carey leaning on the side. Her arms were folded. Kurt's heart skipped a beat. Her face had a radiant glow, and sitting inside the car was a shadowy figure.

"What… Who's in the taxi?"

The boys continued to smile and pointed for him to go out the door.

At first Kurt hesitated. This had to be some sort of illusion. After swallowing hard, Kurt pushed the café doors open and took in the city breeze.

"Carey, what's going on?"

"Get in the taxi and you'll find out."

"But who…"

"Get in the car Kurt."

He wanted to get close and take a peak inside but he was scared. He glanced over at Carey; she nodded her head with a smile.

" Go ahead Kurt, it's okay."

As he grabbed the handle to get inside the car, the door opened up from the inside and sitting there was Justin. Even though Kurt had suspicions that it was Justin, seeing him still brought along quite a lot of shock. The boy moved back across the seat to the other side of the window. Kurt's eyes widened.

"Justin…" he whispered. Before he could say anything else, Justin interrupted.

"Get in the car." He said. It sounded like an order. Kurt did what he was told and he slid onto the leather seat. He didn't know what to say, even that whole speech he had prepared was completely blank in his mind as of this moment.

"Scoot over dad." Zack said as he was nudging himself into the car, Cody followed. Kurt was pulled even closer to Justin. The door closed behind all four of them. Carey got into the passenger side and just as soon as she closed the door, the driver looked at her.

"Where to ma'am."

"I dunno, anywhere but here." She replied.

As the car started moving, an eerie silence took ever. If it weren't for Zack and Cody's huge smiles painted across their faces, Kurt would've been convinced that he was picked up by the mob to be taken off somewhere to be murdered. He looked at Justin who remained silent. Here they were side-by-side, closer to each other than they have ever been and somehow, it was nerve wrecking.

The humming sound of the engine began washing through his eardrums back and forth as Kurt's fingernails dug into his jeans. Justin looked out the window towards the city and watched all the streets pass by. Kurt started to remember the first part of what he was going to say to Justin if he ever he saw him again.

"Justin…" he said nervously.

The boy turned away from the window, Kurt had his attention.

"My boy…"

"Pull into that parking structure and turn the car off." Justin said.

The driver looked quizzically at the boy through the mirror as if to say 'yeah right' but Carey gave him a serious look that convinced him to do what the kid said. As they made their way into the building away from sunlight and into the bottom structure, he found a parking spot and proceeded to bill them for the ride.

"Okay that comes to"

Carey forked over four hundred dollars. The driver was shocked.

"Could you do us a favor and not come back to this vehicle for the next two hours?"

"You got it lady… uh. You're not gonna do anything illegal with this car are you?"

Carey lifted up her right eyebrow.

"Does it really matter?"

He shook his head.

"Not today I guess…"

The driver turned off the car, pocketed the cash and made his way out of the parking lot. Once Justin was sure that they were all alone, he began to speak.

"It's crowded back here."

Cody opened his door and made his way around to the driver's side. Zack scooted over to the window and Kurt moved away some. Justin looked around once more to make sure that nobody was near.

"Did anybody follow us?" he asked.

"Carey replied, "I don't think we were spotted anywhere, I didn't see any limo's."

"Good, we've still got time."

Cody leaned over the front seat. "Do you think he knows you're here?"

"I don't really know… If he doesn't already, he's going to know very soon."

Zack leaned forward and clung onto the back of Carey's seat.

"Hey mom, did you trash your cell phone?"

"Yes, I trashed all of them. I made sure all of the chips were crushed and the outer shells disabled. Kurt, give me your phone!"

"Carey, what's going on?"

"There's no time Kurt, give me your cell phone."

Kurt reached into his pocket and pulled out the tiny device. Carey snatched it away and proceeded to take it apart and throw all the pieces out of the window. Needless to say, Kurt was confused.

"Can anybody tell me what's going on? Justin… Where have you been, are you alright?"

Justin ignored the question. Instead, he told Cody to lock the car doors.

"I already locked them all."

Justin turned towards Kurt.

"I don't have much time left so I'm going to just come out and say it."

Kurt leaned forward. Justin looked into his eyes.

"I'm leaving the past behind me. And I'm not going to go back to it ever again."

Kurt's eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"But, there's something about me that you need to know."

"J-Justin… there's so much I want to say to you right now I don't know where to begin. I know that I haven't always been there for you but, I want you to know that I will do anything to make it right."

"Stop…"

Kurt was paused in mid sentence.

"I didn't come here to bring up the past."

Kurt looked over at Carey and saw that she had a smile over her face. He felt comforted. Justin continued.

"I didn't come here to talk about all the things that went wrong. Many things have gone wrong in my life and that's why I'm leaving the past behind. I know that people aren't perfect and what happened on the night I was born already happened. We can't change the past but we can shape the future. Maybe even together."

As if struck by a snake, Kurt was paralyzed as of what to say and what to do. This was not at all the type of scenario he was expected to go through.

"Listen… there's something I have to ask you. But before you say anything you have to know something about me, and what it will mean based on you decision."

Kurt looked at everyone else around the car. All three looked nervous.

"Did he already ask you guys the question?"

All three of them nodded their heads. Justin took a deep breath.

"Before there can be a happy ending, you have to know the whole story. And if you know everything about me and still want this to work, there will be some VERY big changes in all of our lives. If you choose to accept me for what I really am, you can never go back to the way things are right now. It will NEVER be the same ever again."

Kurt placed his hands under his thighs and prepared for the worst.

"So…what's the question?"

"First, I'll tell you the story."

* * *

Stay tuned for the "FINAL CHAPTER" an extremely long finale titled "Triplets Forever."


	15. Triplets Forever Part 1

Triplets Forever

_Justin's Story (2 Days Ago)_

"You just don't get it do you son?"

Justin looked away from those menacing eyes and focused at the patterns on the floor.

It had been six months since he disappeared from the world. Dressed in black, Justin had been prepared for a mission he had yet to embark on. But, things were different this time. For the first time in his life, he chose to follow a different set of orders, his own. Confident, yet afraid, he proclaims his independence.

"It's over Miles, the dream comes to an end."

SWAT circled the entire building; helicopters flew across red skies over the facility. With pitch-black silhouettes of hovering metal nearing the ground, the propellers swept gusts of wind across the lawns.

Miles laughed quietly, unaffected by what had transpired. He stared out the large window of his office; his attention divided between the heavily equipped authorities outside and behind him, a rebellious child. News vans began to pour in by groups, guns were drawn, and children wrapped in blankets were being escorted out of the dark recesses of their corridors into buses. It was absolute pandemonium. Somebody had exposed the secret.

"Did you actually think it would be that easy, a simple phone call and this all goes away?"

Justin stood tall but his fingers were fidgeting.

"I'm not sure what to think anymore… But one thing I know for sure, is that everyone will know what you really are."

"And what would that be?"

"A monster!"

The man laughed at the boy.

"You really, truly don't get it…"

Miles turned around and placed his hands on his desk, the boy stood back.

"You don't even realize what you have done do you?" he finished.

A puzzled expression grew onto Justin. Miles continued to stare him down but Justin wasn't going to be psyched out.

"I ended a nightmare, that's what I did."

Miles pulled out his chair and sat down.

"You may think you're a hero, but you're not."

The boy quickly fired back, "That's what you want me to think."

Justin watched Miles every move, second-guessing deep inside weather he really did the right thing or not. What were the consequences going to be, was Miles going to hit him? The boy had turned on his master and really wasn't prepared for what he had done. Justin had always been a product of a dominating ruler since he could remember. He was afraid because this man, this tyrant was always so unpredictable, like right now, Justin had prepared to fight a ruthless battle to the death for a chance at life but instead, this man was so calm it was unsettling. Miles pulled a cigar out of his desk drawer and lit it up. He blew a puff of smoke into the air and leaned back in his chair.

"No. It's not what I think, that's what HISTORY thinks. People like you; these heroes that think they're changing the world for the better are actually making things worse. You think these children needed a HERO? They needed control, just like you. The whole world needs control. It begins with a need. Things don't go the way people planned, so they cry out for direction, somebody who can set things straight, a HERO. Then that hero goes off to war for the little people to make things right. But you see, every society, every nation has its own hero they use to fix the problem, and as long as he does what the people ask the hero becomes the problem. All the heroes in all the world come together to wipe each other out for the sake of peace, but instead there's only chaos."

Miles rotated his office chair towards the window and blew another puff of smoke into the air. Justin at first was puzzled, but quickly became angry.

"So what are you saying, I'm more sadistic than you?"

Suddenly, an explosion erupted. The ground inside the office rumbled and a picture frame fell off the wall. Suddenly there was screaming. Justin raced to the outside window and looked down. One of the buses had tipped over. The emergency door had been kicked out and children began rushing full speed out of the bus to attack all the people around them. Soon, the others kids began to follow suit. The doors to all the vehicles were smashed open and they all began running in each and every direction. Justin turned towards Miles who sat in his chair completely unsurprised by what happened.

"This has nothing to do with being sadistic. You tried to be a hero and look at what you've caused. You thought by freeing the children you would create peace in their lives and more importantly yours. I guess, to you that's pretty heroic. In reality, all you did was interfere with a set of plans. You've inspired chaos, just like a hero."

Justin stared down below, looking as horrified as he was when these children were on the battlefield. He looked behind him to see a smile painted across Miles face.

"What's happening, what are they doing?" Justin asked.

"They are doing exactly what they were taught to do."

The boy was stunned. Miles got up from his chair and walked towards the window again. Justin scurried to a corner like an animal that had been left in a cage for too long.

"What are you talking about, I never went through this kind of training."

Miles looked out the window.

"That's because you were meant for bigger and better things. Those children down there are the pawns, and you are the leader."

"I don't understand."

The sun was beginning to set, and the fires that were ablaze lit up the grounds.

"There's always a solution to the problem soldier, and in this case, it's a war to end all wars. And no matter how hard you try, you will never be able to stop it from happening. The time of HEROES has come to an end. Today that war has begun. It's out of both your control and my control."

"What did you do to them?"

" You see soldier, the world is ill. Struck with the symptoms of irresponsibility and poor leadership. This is the cure. Like any medicine, the effects are not immediate but eventually it will begin to work. The children will destroy all forms of authority and then spread out beyond state borders, beyond the continent. They will spread across the entire world with one objective, one mission, bound not to the people, but to logic and understanding. As they grow into, business men, politicians, governors, presidents, mighty figures of society, they will remember my teachings as a way of life and establish the kind of direction in which everyone on the planet will follow whether they want to or not. They will do what no man has ever been able to accomplish. They will establish real control."

"From all of the things you taught?"

"Yes, exactly… I told you the future of war, and now I'm telling you that war was never fought for the sake of peace, but for the sake of order. The teachings they will spread are far greater than the concepts of 'war or 'peace', it's all about control now. It requires monumental sacrifice, pain and suffering from everyone because like all historically changing moments in life, things get worse before they get better. But one thing you must realize, the only way to establish control, along with the luxuries of peace and security in this world is if everyone on earth fears the same thing."

"And what's that?"

"Rules that will NEVER be changed."

"You're crazy if you think that will happen."

"Oh, but it already has begun, the seed of the idea has been planted."

Justin stared back out the window. The SWAT teams lay on the ground motionless, their weapons gone. The helicopter blades were spinning but the controls were unmanned, their vehicles on fire, and news reporters nowhere to be found. The children down below assembled in military order awaiting commandments from a superior officer that had yet to show. Justin was without words. Miles stood behind his pupil and placed his hands on the boy's shoulders.

"Is it really that hard to believe, control? How much freedom should those people out there be allowed to have? You have the chance to do something truly great, beyond heroism. That's why I picked you those many years ago; you are alive so that you can lead this army into glory. You are here to save the world from itself."

"No… this is all wrong. This can't be happening."

For the longest time Justin always wondered what kind of meaning he had in this life. All he ever wanted to do was exist. It was the reason he followed his brothers to the Tipton Hotel. It was the reason he wanted to reconcile the past with his parents. Maybe this is what the voices in his head were telling him for so many times. Was this really his destiny?

"Remember soldier, forget the past and the future. This is the glorious future I promised you. Ease your suffering and let your destiny take over."

Justin quickly moved away from Miles. For a moment he allowed his mind to be brainwashed. Miles was right he was suffering.

"I'm not doing this anymore." He said.

Miles looked at Justin and started to laugh.

"You act as if you have a choice."

Almost immediately, Justin heard his mother's kind voice inside his head telling him the most important words he ever heard. _You are not a failure Justin."_

He looked Miles in the eye and balled his fists.

"There's always a choice. All my life I thought there was no say as to what goes on in my life but now I know that you're just a liar!"

Miles stopped laughing and turned his head and looked out the window again.

"You know, for someone that's as bright as you are, you're sure in the dark about a lot of things. Are you aware of what happens when the fire strays too far from the candle?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means just how it sounds. A fire starts out as a tiny flame at birth and once it grabs hold of something, the flame ignites much greater than anyone could have ever imagined. But, if the fire strays too far away from the source of its strength it becomes weak, useless and pitiful. What may have began with godlike power turns into a distant memory. You're right soldier, there is always a choice. You stand at a crossroad where you can be something truly great, or a distant memory of something that became nothing. Think of everything you have gone through to get to where you are now. You are so close to achieving something incredible."

Justin paused for a moment. He began to remember that one day he spent with his brothers in the park. He remembered how each and every human roaming about on the streets and on the bus had a different story to tell, there were hundreds of kids running around without a care in the world. There wasn't an overshadowing monster in their lives plaguing them with orders that lead to their doom. Instead, they were free. Their futures were unplanned, life belonged to them and there was nothing that was going to stand in their way. For once, Justin wanted to feel that way.

"Anything is better than this."

Miles was getting angry.

"After all of these years I spent training a disciple, the worst of my dreams are becoming real. And so the story begins. A soldier, who develops a mind of his own and for the first time ever, tells his master no."

Justin smiled, "I'm not one of your puppets anymore. From this day on I'm free."

The boy headed for the door. Before he exited, Miles spoke.

"I didn't tell you how the story ends."

Justin turned around, "And I don't want you to."

"Just remember young lad that no matter where you go, every time you think there will be a light at the end of the tunnel, you'll realize that you only discovered an alleyway darker than the others. You can't leave the past; you can only run from it. You will run forever and you'll never find peace. Like a dog with rabies, it won't matter how much love you have to share, your hands will always be fangs. All those you embrace with love will be bitten by the mark of death. They will all die."

Justin turned away and slowly walked out the door. Miles was alone in his office with a cigar in hand and down below, a group of children without a leader. He then mumbled to himself.

"…and once the disease has run it's course, then you will die too."

_Taxi Cab (Present Day)_

"… that was the last thing he said before I left."

Justin fidgeted in the back of the cab. It had been almost an hour since they hid in the underground parking lot. Kurt's jaw had been gaped open with surprise. Justin continually looked at the back of the driver seat, avoiding eye contact.

"And that's the whole story, I guess. Maybe, this is who I am. I was taught to hurt people and I don't know if I'll ever be able to have a normal life."

Carey didn't want to look too concerned so she tried to play it down to make Justin feel better.

"Well, regardless of what happened I'm glad you're back sweetie."

Zack was keenly interested in the details. He's never heard a story so action packed in his life. If this weren't so freaky, it would actually be cool. Cody never had stories like these. Hell, nobody had stories like these.

"So, what happened to the other kids?" he blurted.

" I don't know…" Justin somberly replied.

"Oh come on you cant leave it like that! This story freakin rocks! Exploding vehicles, an evil arch enemy hell bent on taking over the world, a protégé following closely in his footsteps…"

Cody shouted, "Zack, you're so stupid some times! This isn't some comic book this is real!" Although Cody tried to sound serious, it didn't come out that way. After all, he secretly thought it was pretty cool too.

"I want there to be a happy ending, really I do. But right now, I'm putting all of you in danger. As long as Miles is alive he will never stop looking for me. He thinks I'm special or something. He keeps saying there's something that I have that the other kids don't, and he's not going to care who he hurts in order to get to me."

Kurt was afraid that this might all be his fault. Everything that he remembered about those experiments began to play in his mind. He wondered if Justin had any idea. Before he could say anything Justin spoke.

"I guess what I'm saying is… I'm going to have to run."

Justin looked up at his father.

"It won't be just for a little while…I'm going to have to run for the rest of my life. I can't stay here."

Kurt took a deep breath and pulled back his hair and stared at the ceiling. He looked back at Justin and grudgingly asked,

"Are you saying that were not going to ever see you again?"

Silence filled the inside of the taxi.

"It's really going to be up to you." Justin replied.

Kurt looked around; all eyes were on him.

"I'm going to ask you that question. Before there can be an ending to the nightmare, you have to know the whole story. I told you the story. Because of what I might do, I'm going away. I don't know where, and I don't know if I can ever come back. All my life I've had to be by myself, alone with my thoughts. I think of nothing but violence and death when I'm alone, and it scares me. But when I'm with you… all of you, I stop having those thoughts. What I'm asking is… to not be alone."

Kurt was a little puzzled as to what Justin was asking. But what he heard next was both frightening and exhilarating at the same time. Not only would it change everybody's lives in the car, it would create a newfound sense of purpose in his existence. It was a second chance.

"Will you run with me?"

There was a pause. Kurt looked at the others knowing that they already knew what Justin was going to ask. The only thing they were waiting for now was for his own response. Immediately an image flashed back in Kurt's mind when he was chasing after that limo that one night, hoping for a second chance. Then Kurt looked at Justin again. Instead of giving an answer, all he did was get out of the back seat of the car and take the drivers seat. The twins looked at their father wondering what he was about to do. Carey looked him straight in the eye.

"Kurt." She said silently.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

He looked into Carey's eyes. Inside them he saw his entire past. Those eyes told the story of his life. He saw the disappointments, the arguments, the tears, as well as the joy the happiness, and the love she once had for him. Kurt knew that the decisions he made throughout their time together weren't always wise, and weren't always right. But he knew today that Carey had already made her decision. She was going to do this with or without him. He wasn't sure if it was wise or right either, but what he did know was that even if they were going to uproot their lives by making sacrifice after sacrifice, changing schools, jobs, names, homes, states, maybe even countries, he would happily become the fool for her and the loving father all three of his kids deserved.

The keys in the ignition were turned and the vehicle started up. Kurt placed his hand behind the passenger seat and started the car in reverse.

" For the first time in my life, I do know what I'm doing. I'm doing what I should have done fourteen years ago."

Carey was taken back by what she had just heard.

"C'mon Carey, you and I both know this is the right thing to do."

"Kurt, do you even know the gravity of what sacrifices you are about to make?"

He turned the question right back around.

"What about you, have you thought it through?"

The engine was roaring as the car sped in reverse towards the exit. Carey shouted over the noise.

"Yes, I thought about what would happen to the kids. I know we can never go back to the Tipton hotel, the school, Boston, everything. I know that we are going to be on the run for as long as it takes and that maybe we will never be able to make friends again but…"

The car spun a 180-degree turn. The engine subsided into a low growl. Both Carey and Kurt looked at each other closely. They were inches away from each other. Carey became very soft spoken as a tear ran down her face.

" Making the decision to run was never in the equation, it was how I was going to go about doing it."

Kurt smiled, "Then you already know that I'm willing to go any and everywhere if it's with you."

Carey looked at her ex husband with a new light and realized that something that she thought was gone forever was right in front of her. The man of her dreams was staring deep into her eyes and for the first time in a long time, they felt the same way about each other. Carey launched forward in her seat and locked lips with Kurt for a long passionate kiss. This was their magic moment in which everything in the world was right again. They were both complete again.

They looked back at the boys and saw glowing faces. This would be the first time that the entire family would be together. They would be on the run maybe for the rest of their lives but they would be doing it together. Justin had his answer.

The family was finally complete and there was nobody out there that was going to take this moment away from them.

Cody was ecstatic and amazed that his dream was finally realized, Zack was in total disbelief that this was actually happening.

The taxi zoomed out of the parking structure and headed to the nearest freeway. This was the moment where history was about to write itself and there was no changing it once it happened. They drove and drove far away, across the state and into the night. The stars glistened through the night sky as the car drove onward to a destination yet to be determined. As the night progressed and the ambient sound of the vehicle motor buzzed in his ears, Justin fell asleep without a care in the world, much like that time he spent the day with his two brothers. Except, this time it was going to be forever.

It was daylight when Justin opened his eyes. The car was empty. He wasn't sure what it was about this day but something didn't feel right. They had stopped at a gas station to refuel. He got out of the car and closed the door behind him. Kurt looked up from the gas pump.

"Oh, you're awake." He smiled.

"Where is everybody?" Justin asked.

"Oh, they're just getting ready for the big trip."

"Have you thought about where we are going?"

"I was hoping sometime today while were driving we could all decide."

"That sounds like a plan," Justin smiled.

" Not really. But I'm starting to like not having a plan, it makes life so much more interesting."

Zack and Cody were coming out of the little store with bags full of chips and salsa, maps, and soda. For some reason, everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. There was a dust storm brewing and it created giant clouds. Carey was coming out of the restroom; Justin watched the sky fill with dust. By the time the wind settled down, he could see something far in the distance. What started as a tiny black dot soon became a speeding vehicle. Justin's eyes widened.

"GET IN THE CAR!!!" He shouts.

He knew without a doubt that he had been located. The taxi zooms off at full speed, but the tiny black dot seemed to be getting closer. Justin looked at everyone in the car. Time began to slow down again. Sound no longer existed. The only things that Justin could see were his family's eyes, wide with fear. He immediately began to question what he had done. He turned around to see that the hummer was close enough to them now he could get a visual of the driver. It was Miles. In his hand was a giant firearm that looked like some sort of missile. Suddenly Justin had a revelation as to what Miles was talking about before he walked away.

"_You can't leave the past; you can only run from it. You will run forever and you'll never find peace. Like a dog with rabies, it won't matter how much love you have to share, your hands will always be fangs. All those you embrace with love will be bitten by the mark of death. They will all die…"_

Justin knew it was useless for the car to try to get away. The Missile was fired. Although the weapon shot out at lightning speed, Justin watched it as if it were a dream. He felt the car rumble, and lift off into the air. Several somersaults the car made before landing on its side and eventually off a slope where he watched the windows crackle upon every spin. The car finally stopped spinning and for a moment there was dead silence. Justin opened up his eyes and to his horror, saw that not one person in the car was moving. As he began to lose consciousness, he remembered one last thing.

"_And once the disease runs its course… then you will die too…"_

His whole world went dark.

* * *

_**I know it took FOREVER to update... But Part 2 gets better!**_


	16. Triplets Forever Part 2

**Triplets Forever: Part 2**

"I… I want to start over."

Zack stood next to Justin in the Tipton hotel dining room, a skateboard in hand, an extra board in the other. It was the beginning of something special. Zack, Cody and Justin would come to know one another as brothers, no longer as twins, but triplets.

" I want to start over too… if you'll let me." Justin said.

It would be a day to remember. That day they all got up and ventured into the outside world as an unstoppable team ready for anything that was going to come their way. The sky was the limit. It was a great day to be outside in Boston. The sun was shining and the weather was perfect. Then all the sudden everything went dark. There was no sun, the park had disappeared, and it was cold, dark and becoming more frightening by the second. Suddenly Justin opened his eyes. He was in a car, his body strapped to a seat. He felt like the blood was rushing to his head, then he realized that the car was upside down. He looked around and saw four motionless bodies in the car. Soon enough, Justin wrestled himself out of the car. To his surprise, he was unharmed. The skies had turned grey and the sound of lightning could be heard in the distance. Today would be truly dark in terms of mood as well as the weather.

Miles was standing above the slope with cigar in hand, simply staring without a known reason. A wicked smile pasted across his face, Miles lets out a horrifying laugh.

"Yes, just like that! This is exactly what I would expect from the soldier I trained."

He throws the cigar to the side and slides down the dirt slope.

"Able to survive any catastrophe, any assault."

Miles then meets Justin face to face. Justin looks upward with a simple expression of shock, and an unspoken question of why. Why did this happen? Miles answers the question before it's even asked.

"Because that's what you are Justin, a soldier. Truly, you are one of the best soldiers. You survive even when others don't."

Justin looked behind him; the people in the car were still motionless.

"What did you… why? How could you do this?"

Miles looks at Justin as if he should already know the answer.

"I told you before that you are dog with rabies. You've poisoned them with your presence and they have suffered for it. I asked you if you knew what would happen if the flame strayed too far from the candle."

Suddenly it began to rain. The world that seemed so bright with promise became a prison of fear and loneliness. Here and now, the future was presently taking place. Bleak and unwelcoming it was. Miles kept staring for a long time with a most terrifyingly satisfied smile.

"This is your fault you know. You tried to be a hero again. And what's worse, you tried to save the one person that cannot be saved."

Justin looked back at Miles, eyes wide with fear, body throbbing with pain, and a heart filled with loss.

"You tried to save yourself from a future you have no control over. That's the most foolish thing you could've ever done."

Miles takes a look at the car wreckage behind Justin and mockingly observes the damage.

"Hmmm…seems to me the driver wasn't paying much attention to the road…"

He turns around to Justin.

"Or, maybe it wasn't the road that was the problem. Perhaps, it was the extra luggage he packed away. I'm sure he'll be a little more cautious next time as to what he puts inside the car."

Miles begins to roar in laughter. At that moment, things begin to rapidly change inside Justin. Between coming to grips with the understanding that his world had officially come crashing down, his dreams of a life with a loving family gone, memories of a life he wanted becoming more distant, and the man standing in front of him responsible for taking it all away laughing at his misery, Justin began to replace the fear, the pain, and the loss inside him with a concentrated force of rage, a bitter taste of pure unadulterated anger, uncontrollably growing at a speed in which he could not measure. And then, something broke. Perhaps it was reality, or maybe all emotion because Justin became so enraged, it was as if he transformed into a beast. Miles' laughter was abruptly cut short as a fist came flying towards his face with such venomous anger; the impact sent his body to the ground as forcefully as a wrecking ball knocking down a building. The hit was unlike anything Miles ever felt before. His head still ringing, he felt his face and realized that something fractured. He looked at Justin and saw that his pupils were glowing unnaturally red, and after realizing the kind of force that knocked him on the ground, Miles concluded that Justin's strength had at least tripled. With lightning quick reflexes, Justin picks up Miles and tosses him so high in the air that he lands on top of the vehicle left above the slope. As Miles lifts himself up, he sees his indentation on the roof. It was then he realized that his pupil was in the midst of become the 'perfect soldier.'

" I can't believe it… you're finally here." He whispered.

The rain began to pour and within one strike of lightning, Justin was face to face with Miles again. Instead of showing fear, Miles started to laugh again.

"Today is your birthday. Welcome to the world my son, the soldier."

Justin was too far-gone to understand anything that was said. He flailed Miles across the field like a rag doll. Over and over again, the man was tossed about. When ever landing, he acquired a broken limb. Bloodied and bruised, Miles praised his creation.

"After all these years of watching, waiting, sleepless nights wondering if drugging your father would give me results. Here you stand today, as the soldier I've been waiting for you to become."

Justin grabs Miles by the neck and begins to strangle him. With each gasping breath Miles encourages his rage.

"Yes, hit me! Rip me apart! Whatever it takes to finish building you. You're so close to achieving your full potential. Do it! Show me who you REALLY are, show the whole WORLD!!!"

The grip tightened around his neck.

"Release that burning fire inside of you, strike fear into my soul. Make it painful and show… no… mercy."

Even with all the rage in the world, all the strength, Justin still was unable to rid himself of the control Miles had over him.

"ENOUGH!!!" The boy shouted.

Justin grabbed the gun concealed in Miles jacket.

"I will silence you even if it's the last thing I'll ever do.

Justin pointed it directly to Miles temple.

"No Justin, STOP!!!"

The voice sounded familiar. Justin turned his head to see that Carey was down the hill below. She had crawled out of the car. She was alive. She was speaking to him.

"No sweetie, don't do it."

Moments later, Kurt opened his door and crawled out. This came as a major shock. Cold chills ran down Justin's spine. His family was still alive. That meant there was still a chance for this nightmare to end. Miles began to shout.

"We are not finished here soldier. You are not complete. You still have a job to do."

Justin turned back to Miles and dug the gun into the side of his head.

Carey shouted, begging for Justin to hear her voice.

"No Justin, please. It doesn't have to be this way. You don't have to be a soldier anymore, you can walk away."

Miles continued to whisper thoughts to Justin.

"The life of a trained killer. This is your only future, your only capability. You are not one of them Justin, pull the trigger and complete your transformation."

Justin released the pressure of the gun off Miles head. But instead of moving away from the gun, Miles opened his mouth so the gun was pointed to the back of his throat.

"If sacrificing myself is a means of completing you, then it has to be done. Pull. The. Trigger."

"C'mon Justin. Don't do it, you're not a soldier anymore."

That voice wasn't Carey. Justin looked back and realized that Cody was standing next to the others. His brother was alive. He listened to Cody's voice.

"Life doesn't have to be like this anymore. You have a real family and it's right here."

That was it. Justin finally came to his senses and was able to put the gun down. He could hear sirens in the distance. Somebody had called the police. The nightmare was about to be over. The dream didn't have to come to an end. Justin looked at Miles who glared with anger, knowing he was defeated.

"He's right, I don't have to be like you at all. The nightmare is over. Those sirens you hear, they'll take you away and I won't ever have to see you again."

Miles looked at his pupil with disgust.

"Coward! Is that what you tell yourself?"

Justin let go of Miles and turned his attention towards his future staring back at him in the form of a welcoming family. He began to walk towards them.

"Or, is that what the voices in you're head told you?"

Justin stopped cold in his tracks. He turned around in shock.

The famous wicked smile returned to Miles face. It didn't matter how bloody and bruised he was, that smile marked his dark persona with such vivid clarity.

"Oh, you think I didn't know about those other little voices that keep wandering around that brain of yours?"

Justin began to remember all the pain those voices made him go through. The voices were there when he broke out of the facility, the voices were there when he had restless nights in the hotel, the voices clawed at his brain every waking moment in his life.

The boy quickly ran up to Miles and grabbed him by the shirt. He needed answers.

"What do you know about the voices in my head?"

Miles said nothing. Instead he allowed Justin's anger to return in hopes of sending him over the edge.

"Tell me Dammit! What do you know about the voices?"

Miles whispered in Justin's ear.

"I know that they dwell in your head all of the time. I know that the voices are telling you something that you don't like to hear. Sometimes they make decisions for you when you can't make them yourself. I know the voices inside claw at you so much that you have to let it out in some way or they'll eat you alive. Tell me, do you like drawing…?"

Justin grew very afraid. Everything that he was saying was right. Miles continued.

"It's been getting harder to regain control hasn't it?"

Justin releases Miles and stares at him fearful of what other things he has to say.

" Like I said before, I didn't tell you how the story ends."

"I told you already that I didn't want you to."

"But you should already know… After all, you are here to save the world, whether you want to or not. 'You're objective is the mission.'Remember?"

Suddenly, great fear begins to eclipse over Justin. He knew Miles was a liar, but somehow, he knew that this was the truth.

"What did you do to me?" he finally asked. Miles begins to laugh.

"I turned you into what you always tried to be, a HERO. Unlike the others, your purpose was greater. The story behind you is the most interesting one of all. You see, in a short amount of time from now, a year at the most, the voices in you head will take full control and destroy all of your independent thinking faculties."

Justin looks at his family down below trying to help Zack out of the car. Before today, he didn't even realize how much he loved all of them.

"You are going to lose all of your memories Justin. In fact, you wont even remember that name."

This wasn't what he wanted to hear but Justin knew that he had to know the truth. Miles struggled to pull out a cigar from his pocket with his right hand being one of the only groups of unbroken bones.

"You will lead all of the others in the battle for control over this lawless world and win. Because there are flaws with every new experiment, the voices in your head come from a sickness."

Miles then lights his cigar and blows a cloud of smoke into the air.

"You'll then have three more months before the developing brain tumor growing inside of you claims your life. That is the story of the soldier that saves us all from ourselves."

"Bullshit!" Justin shouts.

" This is who you are, and all you will ever be."

"Shut up!!!"

"But your death will be a glorious ending Justin. I told you that the future of peace requires monumental sacrifice. You have made that sacrifice. Face it kid… you get to be a historical figure. Killed to make the world a better place."

"No… Not yet. You haven't killed me yet."

The sirens get louder as they make their way towards the crash site. Miles blows another puff of smoke into the air.

"Oh, but you're already dead. Deep down inside you know that what I'm telling you is the truth. You are just a walking ghost waiting to be buried in the past."

Suddenly Justin heard screaming from down below. His mother and father were pulling Zack from out of the car. He was motionless and there was blood coming out of his chest.

Justin raced down the slope to see in horror that his brother Zack was bleeding a large amount of blood. A piece of glass was lodged in his chest. The cops and paramedics were here. Justin put the gun inside his pants to keep it away from Miles. Police officers and paramedics raced over to the upturned car. Cops handcuffed Miles to a stretcher and hauled him off while paramedics gently placed Zack into the back of the emergency vehicle and raced him off to the hospital with Carey by his side. Cody, Justin, and Kurt got into the police car and followed the paramedics in hot pursuit. A million things were racing in Justin's mind. If everything that Miles said was true, then what was the point in even living? Why fight so hard to live the dream if it's going to come crashing down? Little did Justin know, the answers would come a lot sooner than later.

* * *

_the ending is still coming folks..._


	17. A New Dream

**A Brand New Dream**

Sirens bellowed across the streets as the ambulance rushed through one light after another. Carey was doing everything she could to keep her sanity. She watched as trained professionals stuck tubes down her son's throat, and needles through his arms. This was all in effect to save Zack's life. He was hurt. Bad. It was worse than everyone originally thought. The words the medics spoke were like a foreign language to her, Carey's own thoughts were like a hammer banging on her skull. Nothing was making any sense. Meanwhile the cop car that contained the rest of the family wasn't any different. Cody was in the back unable to contain his emotions that pitted against the back of his throat.

"Oh god, I can't believe this is really happening. What if Zack dies? What if they can't do anything to help him?"

Justin tried calming Cody down. "He's going to be alright. He's with the only people that can help him now. We'll just have to believe that it's all going to be okay."

"But what if it's not huh? What if…" Cody stopped abruptly and buried his face in his hands. This was taking a toll on his nerves. Kurt wasn't doing much better either. The only difference was he was in absolute silence. His fingers dug into the back of his neck as he stared up at the ceiling. He started mumbling silently as if he was either talking to god or himself. Justin, while seeming calm, was just as scared as the others. After all the things that he's been through, the thought of staring death in the face normally wouldn't seem so scary. But things have changed. Growing up, he never let friendships go past the first stages with anyone because he knew that one way or another they were going to die, or he was going to die. This wasn't just a friend… this was a long lost brother that was possibly going to leave his life as quickly as he came into it. There were a lot of things to be afraid of at this moment. Miles was finally gone and this meant that he had total control over his life. He was no longer the son of destruction, but a kid. Justin was a real kid. It was everything he could've hoped for in life. This was why he fought so hard to be included in this family's life, and why it was so hard to stay away. And when he poured out his heart to his mom that one night, it was something he was never able to do before. Being loved is an addiction that can't be described. When you spend your whole existence searching, and then you find it, the feeling is so powerful and amazing that you will make any sacrifice just to keep it. Sometimes, the sacrifice can be too great. What happens if you end up hurting those you love? Then, is being loved good enough? Justin looked up towards the ambulance. As the vehicles turned a few more corners and the sirens were cut off, and as Zack was being pulled out of the van and rushed towards sliding doors, Justin couldn't help playing back that conversation they had over and over in his brain. The words Zack told him were so important for him to hear that they never stopped playing. Even now as they sat in the waiting room waiting to hear something, anything that would make the pain go away, the words repeated again.

"_I want to start over." _

Justin was tortured with guilt. Staring down the hallways where Zack was rushed behind swinging doors, Justin felt a sense of loss. He knew the dangers of what he was asking his family and he decided to take that risk anyway. Maybe it was for the passionate thought that he could be free from his old life, or maybe hide from the future. But now he looked at Cody, his father and mother, all wrapped up in a string of arms holding each other tightly because the agony of waiting had become unbearable. They looked so perfect together as if that was how it was always supposed to be, a tight bond that should have never been broken. The dream didn't seem so perfect anymore. Justin's focus was interrupted as the doors to the emergency room opened. Coming down the hallway was a surgeon. He walked as if he was on a mission, but not as a proud athlete declaring a victory. He walked as a sergeant ready to deliver a sorrowful message to a family that wasn't ready to hear it.

He took the surgical cap off the top of his head and approached Kurt and Carey. He talked with a low tone.

"Are you the parents of Zachary Martin," He asked.

"How is he?" she blurted. Carey knew by the way that the doctor looked, the news he had was not going to be good. The doctor was silent as if he were searching for the most delicate way to explain what he was going to say. He took a deep breath and began to speak. " The accident your son was involved in caused serious damage to… well… he has fractures in the sternum and bilateral ribs that have caused compression of the heart resulting in several lacerations, and the glass..."

The doctor paused as he found it hard to look into Carey's horrified eyes. Kurt held her tight. The doctor fought back his emotions so that he would have the strength to finish what he had to say.

"We've done everything we could Ms. Martin, the glass pierced your son's heart. The damage is irreparable. We can keep him on life support for the time being, but in a few hours his heart… I'm so sorry ma'am."

As soon as she heard that, Carey burst into tears and completely lost her balance. Kurt quickly grabbed her before she fell to the floor. They were both in tears. Cody put his hands over his face and began to cry. Hard. Justin's heart sank as he realized that this was it. Just like that, Zack was going to die. The tight bond had separated for good; there was no starting over. Out of all the possibility he had for the future, this was one thing he did not see coming. Justin didn't expect to lose a family member like this. As cruel as Miles was, and as harsh as his words were, he was right. Justin poisoned them with his presence and they have suffered for it. The dark haired boy's world grew silent as his mind blocked out the outcries of pain from his mother. Everything slowed down in time and stopped. 'What happens from here?' he thought. What's going to happen to his parents? What's going to happen to Cody? They say that there is no greater pain than a parent losing a child, but what about a brother losing his twin? This could have tragic consequences for him. What about his friends at the hotel that know and love this family so much, what would they think, what would they say? Justin had painted a horrendously dark future for his family; he could see it now. Probably not long after he too was dead, Cody would go through a very long depression, something he could never recover from. Kurt would become an angry person, furious with the world over things he couldn't control. And Carey… It was just too hard to even grasp. Justin dropped to his knees in despair. His world returned to the reality of the present.

Cody looked up at Justin and grabbed him, hugging him with all of his strength. At first he had no idea why but as the grip tightened, Cody silently whispered in his ear through his sobs.

"All we have is each other now Justin. You… me… we gotta look after mom and dad."

Those words had quite a powerful impact. Justin couldn't bear to hear what Cody was telling him. It wasn't supposed to be like this, it wasn't right listening to Cody whispering in his ear and telling him not only what he knew was true, but also in reality that he had to be the son and the brother that would replace Zack.

"It's you and me forever bro… you and me forever."

Why did Cody have to talk like that? Why couldn't he sound like his usual self, the younger and naïve Cody that believed in any and everything?

Justin felt like he was about to cry. This was becoming more than what he could handle. He tried to focus on the right words to say at the right time, but at a time like this there is no good or bad time.

"I cant be the brother you need me to be Cody."

Cody released his grip on Justin and looked him in the eyes first with curiosity, and then with reassurance.

"Sure you can Justin. I'll help you. We can get through this together, you and me…"

Justin knew that Cody was trying to do his best to make him feel welcome as a family member, but if Cody knew exactly what he meant by that it would tear him apart.

"No Cody, you don't understand-"

Cody interrupted. "-You and me forever bro…"

Justin said nothing more, for he knew that Cody could never know the truth, nobody could ever know. Cody leaned in again and tightened his grip around his brother. He was an innocent victim that had yet to suffer the devastating blow to his heart that was fast approaching.

Justin's head began to ache. He started to hear a voice in the back of his mind. '_Your objective is the mission.' 'Fulfill your destiny soldier.' _He shook his head and the voices disappeared. He then pulled away from Cody's embrace and stood up.

"Cody, I don't want you to suffer because of me. I can't bring joy to you life; I can't be your friend. Everyone I come close to ends up getting hurt. I should have never come back."

"Why are you so afraid Justin? I know you didn't mean for this to happen, it wasn't your fault. Your heart was in the right place, you did nothing wrong. I need you more than ever. Mom and Dad need you more than ever…"

Justin couldn't escape his tortured conscience. He looked over at Carey sobbing on the floor with Kurt holding her in his arms. Justin knew that somehow this was all wrong.

"No. This isn't how it's supposed to be. It's my fault this happened."

Justin quickly walked down the hallway, away from the family and away from prying eyes. He sought refuge inside the men's bathroom and hid himself inside a stall. It was there he was finally able to let out all of his emotions. His mind was burning with tormented memories. Again, he envisioned Zack extending his hand as a gesture of wanting to start over, Cody hugging him and acknowledging him as the brother he will need to be around him forever. What was worse, Justin knew that dream was impossible.

The dream was over before it ever began. From the beginning, Justin had a life already planned for him. Even though he tried to run far away from it, he only ended up running around an endless maze that lead to the same fate over and over again. He began to remember that perfect day which seemed to have happened so long ago.

It had been a great day to be outside in Boston. The sun was shining and the weather was perfect. The bus ride to the skate park was a short one but Justin was able to capture a million memories. The people sitting outside coffee shops, the kids running up and down the streets, people walking out and about enjoying life… They all had stories to tell.

He remembered thinking, why didn't they share their stories? It would make the world a better place. But now Justin understood why some stories just shouldn't be told. After all, his story was so bleak, so twisted and unwelcoming. Who would want to hear his story? Who would care? This tattered soul wanted so much to be like the kids that were in the park, unaware of any kind of danger, free from monsters overshadowing their every move. Their futures were unplanned, life belonged to them and there was nothing that was going to stand in their way. This was the life that belonged to Zack and Cody, a life that should have never been interfered with. Yes… the day had been perfect.

Suddenly the words of Cody dawned on Justin, 'Your heart was in the right place…' Immediately, the heartache and pain slowed to a stop. Everything began to make sense to Justin. He originally asked himself once that if he was going to die, what was the point of fighting so hard to live the dream? Why fight so hard to live?

Life is an interesting story. But, how do you know when exactly it goes from being a suspenseful drama to an exciting thriller, or an adventure to a tragedy?

That can never be answered beforehand. But there are times when a part of you opens up to the tragic reality of things and you learn to accept everything around you, including your fate. A prelude to all things around us… Not all stories are meant to have a happy ending. They can however have a much deeper meaning within the surface.

In a story about discovery of things never imagined, new elements open up to the senses and new emotions are embraced. Here lies a critical moment in the life of a boy who discovered that he has a family that loves him. He's started to realize that he loves them just as much and is willing to do everything in his power to see that they are happy, even if he should suffer. Yes, dreams do eventually come to an end, but what about the journey? Isn't that what dreaming is all about? It was an incredible journey, and a wonderful dream. Justin began to realize that he had already found what he was looking for. He found his family; he ate with them, slept with them, played games with them. But now, it was time for that journey to end, for Justin had a new dream. He looked up at the ceiling and made a solemn pledge that he would see through no matter how difficult it was going to be.

"I'm going to fix this. I'm going to repair the damage I've caused. But how can I do that?"

Justin stood up from the stall and was about to open the door until he began to suffer an incredible headache unlike anything he ever felt before. Everything went dark and out of nowhere a spotlight appeared with him in the center. Then hundreds of glowing red eyes began to flicker in what seemed to be an endless room. Soon, a voice began to speak.

"_Eyes forward soldier… the mission is at hand."_

Justin knew the sound of that voice. It had been with him since he could remember. He also knew that these inner demons would eventually take full control of his mind. Justin began crying.

"I have to protect them… I have to protect them all."

Out of the darkness comes a soldier. It's him, except this Justin had a grin across his face.

"_Your objective is the mission."_ He says.

Justin becomes afraid and starts coiling back into a defensive mode and covers his head.

"But… But I can't… I… I can't do that anymore. They told me I was free…" Justin replied.

The soldiers voice deepens, and with the greatest intensity of hatred brewing from inside, he digs his nails into the side of his face, in effect, drawing blood from Justin's own like a mirror image.

"_You… are… worthless… do you want to die just like your brothers? They didn't prove themselves ready."_

Justin could hear the screams of children he went through training camps with. The sounds of their screams pierced through his soul. Tears rolled down Justin's eyes, he was whimpering like he was a five year old. Justin rocked back and forth in the darkness.

"I don't want to die, I don't want to… please help me… please make me stronger."

Placing a finger over his lips, the soldier hushes Justin and then wipes his tears away.

"_Shhh… Leave everything to me… I'll take care of it…"_

Justin paused for a moment knowing that he had this illusion before. He woke up to Zack's voice the first time, but this time he had to face the nightmare.

This soldier standing in front of him was everything he was, everything he used to be. The soldier stood as a symbol of fear and confusion. But, this was the time to put aside the things of the past, for Justin was no longer allowed to be afraid. It was time to chain the inner demons away for good. He looked into the soldier's beady red eyes and spoke forcefully.

"I don't need you to take care of anything."

The soldier smiled, _"you already know that you have no choice in this matter. You already know that it's only a matter of time before I take full control over you anyway."_

The darkness fades into blurry colors of all sorts until Justin is transmitted onto the battlefield with his war family sitting on opposite ends of each other. A pair of hands enclose upon his shoulders. It was Miles. They began watching the children engage in a battle royale of epic proportions. The soldiers menacing voice became overpowering.

"_We are all the demons of your past, present, and future. Every single one of us is a memory as well as a nightmare."_

Justin shouted, "I don't need to relive this!"

_We make all the decisions for you Justin, and we choose when and how you'll carry out your duties. You might as well enjoy the last bit of freedom you have before it's too late." _

This monster tried to reason with Justin, reassuring that he had no control whatsoever and that he should just give in. He then shows a vision of Zack's funeral.

" _I know you love your family. So be kind to yourself and to them as well. Go back with your family to their home… and be a big brother to Cody for as long as you can until you lose those precious memories. Bury the other child Zack, and then mark a grave for yourself and I will see to it that you get buried along side him, as my gesture of kindness to you. This is all you will ever hope to achieve. " _

Justin tries to fight back the images. "Stop it! Stop putting these images in front of me!"

Suddenly, all the lights go dark again and Justin is back in the darkness with a spotlight shining on him.

_You know how it all ends Justin. First, you lose control. Then, we take control. After we've completed all that needs to be done, then you die."_

As Justin pondered those words, another memory reflected before him, but it wasn't anything the soldier placed before him. He found himself sitting at a table inside the Tipton hotel. His mother placed a hand on his back and said something very profound, in fact, unforgettable.

She said: "Justin, I want you to listen to my words very carefully because you've probably never heard anything like this come from anybody in your entire life and it's time you heard it now. It's time you heard it from somebody that loves you and is willing to love you for always and forever, not because you are some soldier, some weapon of mass destruction, or some kind of evil monster that can be used for some sadistic purpose, but loved because you are a human being with flesh and blood, capable of anything and everything good…"

Carey brought Justin's face closer to hers so that they were looking at each other eye to eye, and with the most sincere, the most honest, and the most refreshing voice, Carey said words more powerful than any commander Justin had ever heard.

'You-are-not-a-failure.'

The memory disappeared as quickly as it came and Justin stood before the soldier who was now completely silent. The menacing figure began to open his mouth as the fangs began to increase in their size. The creatures in the room began to gather even closer.

Before today, Justin would have crumbled in fear. But now, he took a good look at the soldier and asked himself a really important question.

Who's really in control here? It was evident that Justin had separated himself away from this symbiotic form. The memory he just had was not something the creature wanted to surface. And, if this creature was really in control, why was he desperately fighting so hard to keep Justin so afraid. It was because these old memories were trying to hold onto the past and drag Justin down with them. Justin discovered that even though his story was bleak, twisted and unwelcoming, he still had the power to change the ending if he was brave enough. The soldier looked at Justin, realizing that the boy's fear had subsided, and been replaced with a smile.

"_What's so funny?" _

"You've lost and you don't even know it yet." Justin replied.

"_What are you talking about?"_

"You may have controlled my entire life up to this point, but I still get to choose how it all ends. I'm not a failure. I can still win this fight."

"_Just how do you plan to do that?"_

Justin's head began to ache even more. Although his vision was blurred and his head was ringing in pain, he remained focused on his enemy.

"Shouldn't be hard to figure out. You and I are the same person, and we have the same mind. All you have to do is look."

The soldier looked closer at Justin's face and began to realize exactly what he meant.

"_You wouldn't dare."_

Justin smiled, "I believe you already know what I'm capable of."

The soldier's confidence began to shrink back, for his control was weakening. The beady-eyed demons began to disappear one by one in quick succession. The creature was in mortal fear. Justin began to speak.

"Eyes forward soldier. A new mission is at hand."

The soldier begins screaming at the top of his lungs, _"YOU CAN"T DO THIS TO ME!!!" _ His body paralyzed, the soldier is forced to listen to his master.

"You see soldier, you… are… worthless! I know just what to do with you and everyone like you."

"_But, you can't do this! I've read your thoughts just as you read mine. You know I only tried to help us, that's all! How can you actually go through with this? Why do you choose to do the unthinkable?"_

Justin felt a sense of warmth inside his body as he regained full command.

"Because I'm tired… I've dreamt the same dream my whole life, and I've awakened. I realize now that being awake has made me aware of what I have to do. It's time to begin a new dream. And you cant be a part of it… I'm going to see to it that you never return again, and the future you've planned for me will never see the light of day."

The creature is forced to accept defeat. The boy places his finger over the soldier's lips.

"Shhh… Leave everything to me… I'll take care of it…"

Immediately the darkness began to fade away from Justin. He was inside the bathroom stall again. The headache fades as Justin opens the door and stares at the mirror next to the sink.

He takes a breath of fresh air and heads out of the bathroom towards the emergency ward destined to keep the promise he made, destined to write an ending to his tale that would become worthy of remembering. At this point Justin had answered his own questions and was satisfied with the decision he was going to make.

Yes, life is an interesting story. Life is full of individuals classified as monsters and humans. A soldier can be a monster, but a human controls that monster. Humans thrive off of the love they are shown and in return they learn to love. History has proven that a human is willing to make sacrifices for the chance of freedom, a chance to be heard, and make sacrifices to protect those they love. So in the end, humans can redeem themselves, and earn a place in history as someone that can never be forgotten. That becomes more important than life itself. And yes, being loved is an addiction that can't be described. When you spend your whole existence searching, and then you find it, the feeling is so powerful and amazing that you will make any sacrifice just to keep it.

Without thinking too much about it, Justin walked inside the emergency room where Zack's body laid. The medical supplies was just a futile attempt to keep his body alive long enough to watch him whither away. Nobody was present. It was there Justin would have one last conversation with his dying brother. He found a chair and pulled it up towards his bed. At first all he could do was stare at the tubes all over his body. Justin spoke softly.

"Hey Zack, it's Justin… I'm not sure if you can hear me so I'm just gonna keep talking because I need to say some things whether you're listening or not…"

Zack looked so pale on the table it was scary just wondering if he would go any second. Justin focused.

"I guess in the end, we never did get a real good chance to know each other."

Justin paused to listen to Zack's strained breathing. There wasn't much time.

"I really, really wish that there was more time to do the things we should've done. Like I said before, I don't know if you can hear me but there's something I want to tell you. Cody, well… Cody needs you a lot more that he will ever need me. I don't know what he'll do without you and I don't want to find out either."

Tears began to roll down Justin's face.

"I'm so sorry that this happened to you. It just wasn't supposed to be like this. I refuse to let you die."

Justin wipes his face with his sleeve.

"I just want you to know right now that no matter what happens this day forward, we will be triplets forever. I… I can't take care of Cody like you can; I just don't know him that well... He needs you and so do mom and dad. I can't have the relationship you two have and there's no way I'm going to replace you so we have to get one thing straight… Wherever you go from this day forth, whatever far off place you end up, I don't ever want you to forget me you hear?"

Suddenly Zack's doctor walked into the room. He pauses for a moment appearing angry.

"What are you doing in here kid? This is authorized personnel only_"

Before the doctor could finish his sentence Justin whipped around like a bolt of lightning and appeared directly in his face. The doctor felt something cold and hard on his chest. The doctor looked down to see that a gun was pointed directly at his heart. It was the weapon Justin retrieved from Miles. The man lifted his arms defensively and remained completely silent.

The boy had a cold stare filled both with intense anger and desperation. A minute passes by before Justin speaks.

"Are you a good doctor?"

The man tried futile attempts to calm the boy down.

"Kid, please… put the gun down."

Justin dug the gun deeper into the guy's chest causing pain. He asked again,

"I said, Are. You. A. Good. Doctor?"

There was another long pause. The man didn't want to say anything that could cause the gun to go off. So he carefully tried to decipher the question that was presented.

"Well… I do the best with what tools I have to work with."

The answer seemed adequate enough for Justin to lighten the pressure of the weapon against his chest so the man was temporarily relieved. The boy's cold stare remained. The doctor asked himself where this boy came from, not as in where he lived but in upbringing. Normal kids did not know how to handle a weapon like that. It seemed to him that this kid had lots of practice from somewhere. The boy quickly spit out another question.

"Lets just say that a dying kid needs a good doctor... If you have the tools to work with, would you be able to promise that dying kid would live?"

The doctor began to recognize the similarities between the boy on the table and the boy standing in front of him. He started to understand where the desperation came from. He began to relax a little.

"I'm sorry kid, truly I am. But there's no way I can help your brother.

Justin was infuriated. "That's NOT what I asked!"

The doctor held his hands back up.

Justin pressed the gun harder into the man's chest.

"I said, if you have the right tools to work with, would you be able to promise that a dying kid would live?"

The man gave way to silent tears. He was feeling the same Justin was.

"If I had the power son, I would do whatever it took to save your brother. I wish I had what your brother needed, I wish I wouldn't have to worry about my patients ever dying, but these things just happen… If I had the right tools to give your brother then yes, yes your brother would live."

Then all of the sudden, Justin began to smile. This wasn't a pleasant welcoming smile, but a creepy unsettling grin from a person that had lost all sanity.

"I made a promise to fix all of this… and you're going to help me keep that promise."

Next came the most chilling words the doctor ever heard.

"My brother needs a healthy heart. And I want YOU to give it to him."

The gun was pulled away for the doctor. Justin looked at him; the anger was gone from his eyes.

"I want YOU to give him MINE."

And without warning, Justin put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger. BANG!

As soon as he dropped to the floor, all of the lights went out and Justin was thrown back into the darkness with a spotlight flashing on him. The soldier shouted at the top of his lungs as he was being sucked into the world of non-existence. And, in quick succession, flashes of memories fled from Justin. The soldiers disappeared, Miles disappeared, the guns disappeared, the crying, the shouting, the commands, they were relinquishing all of their control. No longer would they ever be able to take control of him for Justin had set himself free. But, there was also the heartbreaking realization that memories too of Zack, then Cody, then Dad, and then Mom… would all disappear. The doctor stared at the ground completely mortified by what he just witnessed. Justin had just killed himself to save Zack's life. Other personnel came running into the room, some screaming, some rushing to close off the area, and some asking the most basic of questions, What happened? But before answers would come, Zack's heart flat lined on the screen. Immediately the doctor stepped into action.

"We… we don't have much time left."

People stopped moving and looked at him as if he was crazy.

"We need to remove this boy's heart right away if there's going to be any chance of the other boy surviving."

Everybody stood silent.

A nurse spoke, "Sir, a boy just committed suicide. We have to follow procedures and…"

The doctor interrupted, "Would you rather spend time trying to figure out how someone died or would you rather figure out how to save a life? This boy just sacrificed his life to save another, if we don't act now, everything he's done will been in vain."

The ringing of Zack's heart monitor seemed to echo throughout the entire hospital. Cody somehow knew that between the loud pop and a flat lined heart monitor had to be something Justin did. He wasn't quite aware of what just happened but as he wandered down the hallway he noticed that the emergency room had been blocked off. As he tried rushing towards the doors shouting Zack's name, he was tackled by a few orderlies and dragged away from the door. He asked questions, got no answers. But soon enough he would come to understand the events that had transpired. And everyone's lives would be transformed forever.

* * *

_**The next chapter is the FINAL CURTAIN CALL to this story.**_


	18. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

It was raining. Cody sat in his room alone curled inside a blanket listening to the sound of heavy water drops splash across the windows. He was in deep thought, concentrating on the cardboard bound wad of paper he had been furiously scribbling on for the past hour. Normally, writing in his journal seemed like a favorite hobby that he would take his time each day to flesh out to chronicle the meaningful and meaningless things in life. But, today was very different…

"_Dear Journal, it is I Cody Martin. It's been a year now since Justin left, and I still feel like it all happened yesterday. That's why this will have to be the last entry I will ever write. And it's because I need closure. I need to put the final thoughts in my head to rest so I can move on. Something happened to me recently, something big. And if I don't get it out of my head I'm gonna explode! I just need to start from the beginning. Starting with the biggest most important day of my life; the day Justin died. It was a day that I will never forget. He did something so brave and incredibly courageous that I'm not sure how I'll ever be able to wrap my head around it. When they told me at the hospital what Justin did for Zack, I didn't know what to say, or do. Mom and Dad were overwhelmed. After Zack woke up it was the most bittersweet day of my life. Zack stayed at the hospital, but mom, dad and me went home to the Tipton. We had to make up one convincing story after another to explain why we all left so abruptly, where Zack went, and where Justin had gone. The story ended up being that Zack was at some kind of wood shop camp and wouldn't be returning for a month or so, and that Justin went back home to live with his aunt, like he talked about before. Eventually Zack came home and disappeared inside our suite for a couple more months and one day emerged as the healthy happy kid we all remembered. And then it occurred to me this day that almost nobody talks about Justin anymore. It's as if he never existed. I guess it's how it should be since we don't want anyone to know the truth. But I'm still bothered. A year has passed, and I realize more and more each day that he gave me back my brother. We had Justin's remains cremated and spread across the park he loved so much. He would've wanted it that way. We had to destroy the drawings, the pictures we took and leave no trace of his existence in case somebody else was still looking for him. It all seems so weird, now that I think about it. Before the day Justin died I thought we were all going to be together forever. It turned out that I was kind of right. We're back at the Tipton but this time, Dad stayed and hasn't left since. Every time I see Zack without a shirt I automatically look at the scar in the middle of his chest. It's almost nonexistent! Pretty soon the doctors said that it might even disappear all together. They said that it was the most successful surgery they had ever performed in such a short amount of time. Normally they have to fight with the body to accept a foreign part into the system and not reject it. But with Justin's heart, there was no problem, like it was where it always belonged. I miss him. I think deep down inside, he made sure that he would never be forgotten. This is why I had to write out everything today. There are times when Zack starts acting strange, doing little odd things every now and then that make me wonder about him. Sometimes he gets the urge to draw for hours and hours scribbling away on sheet after sheet of paper. He sleepwalks sometimes and closes all the curtains and shades in the suite. He stopped sneaking pie and ice cream, talking about living healthy and long enough to have two lifetimes of memories and all sorts of stuff. I was beginning to move on with life. That is, until yesterday. Justin always had a way of turning your world upside down one way or another, and last night felt like Justin was still alive and breathing, ready for one last curtain call. The whole thing started three days before…"_

**Three days earlier…**

"Hey Cody!" Zack said. Cody lifted his head abruptly and turned around just in time to see a water balloon splash right in front of his face.

"You are so dead when I find you." Cody laughed.

Life at the Tipton had returned to normal. They were once again the twin terrors of Moseby's life and a breath of fresh air to the staff. Max and Tapeworm managed to sneak past security yet again and was now loading up on additional ammo. The lobby was off limits but that never stopped Cody from using it as his hiding spot.

Maddie looked over at Cody,

" So I presume that since your mom is going out again that you're gonna need a babysitter?"

Carrie and Kurt may have started seeing each other again, but there was no certainty that they were going to ever get married again. It was just too early to tell. Cody didn't mind. After all, he was happy that the whole family could at least be together every once in a while.

"Uh, I don't know if we really need a babysitter anymore, I think were old enough to_"

Suddenly Zack's head popped up.

"He's just joking, of course we need a babysitter. Right buddy."

Zack glared at Cody as if to send a subliminal message of death if Maddie doesn't end up hanging around him tonight.

Cody smiled, "Of course I'm joking. Heh…"

The others eventually met up in the lobby. Much to Max's dismay she realized that they weren't armed.

"Yo, are we playing or what?"

Moseby came swooping around the corner. "I knew I saw you two hooligans running around my hotel like giant rats. All of you outside, I have very important 'rich' guests arriving here any minute. I don't want them to think that the place is infested."

Once they all scurried outside Max and Tapeworm decided to split since the snobbery at the hotel was unusually high. Just then, Zack and Cody saw an expensive car pull up to the outside of the hotel and a rich couple walked inside with their twelve-year-old son, lagging behind. It was strange, both parents were blonde but he had dark red hair. Suddenly the boy stopped in his tracks and looked at Zack as if he had seen a ghost. Then he stared at Cody. He seemed to relax.

"_As I scribble away in this journal, I remember thinking he was just some weird rich kid. He seemed pretty nice though. He smiled almost immediately and introduced himself."_

" Hi, I'm Ryan. I'm from California, wanna hang out?"

Zack looked at the Limo and realized that this kid had to be loaded. His parents were covered with expensive watches and fur coats. They had several people following behind them tending to their every need. Zack felt if the kid was bizarre, at least he could pretend to like him long enough to have some fun with all the toys and gadgets he brought with him to the hotel.

"I'm Zack, this is Cody." He finally said.

"I'll show you all my toys." The kid replied.

"_The most bizarre thing about this kid was probably the fact that while he was rich, it seemed like he just discovered that he was rich. I dunno. It's like he was as equally surprised as we were when he showed us all his stuff. Over the course of 3 days we hung out and showed him all around town. On the final day of his stay, we went into Ryan's hotel suite that his parents rented out just for him. There was an ipod here, Xbox there; computer set up on a tabletop, you know, rich kid stuff. We hung out for a little while playing videogames, rocking out to his killer surround sound system, and took full advantage of the room service he kept ordering." _

"Oh man, this is the life!" Zack shouted.

"_I had to agree with him, this was literally the nicest rich kid we ever met at this hotel. He let us play all his games, order whatever we wanted, and it was pretty cool. But things just didn't seem right. While I was geeked out by all the specs on his computer and it's video card capabilities, he came up behind me and just stared at me. It was a little unsettling so I tried to make small talk."_

"Dude, your computer rocks!"

"_He was silent for a little while, doing nothing but sitting there and staring. Then he spoke."_

"It's yours."

"_I turned back in surprise to see if I heard him right. Ryan had this look in his eyes that I don't think I'll ever forget. There was this deep sadness within, and I'm not talking about the rich kid angst of having everything but nothing kind of sadness. I couldn't understand it. Before I could ask why, he turned away when Zack shouted at the big screen TV still playing Xbox. _

"Dude, you are so lucky to have this entertainment system. I'd never go to sleep if I had this in my room."

"It's yours."

"_He said it again… Zack and me just kinda looked at each other to see if this kid was serious. No regular kid would just offer another kid all his toys. _

"It's yours, everything in here is yours. You can have it."

"_I wasn't sure what was going on."_

"Ryan, are you okay?"

"_The kid said nothing. And then out of nowhere a single tear came out of his left eye. He was visibly disturbed about something and it started freaking me and Zack out. Then he smiled and said,"_

"After all, it's the very least I can do…"

"_I was like,"_

"What do you mean it's the very least you can do? Ryan you've been nothing but cool to Zack and me. If anything we should probably do something for you."

"Cody's right buddy. What's the matter?"

"_I was totally confused but then out of nowhere, he says something that stops time."_

"It's the least I can do because you're the closest I'll ever get to thanking Justin."

"_My blood ran cold. I looked at Zack who was equally surprised. My heart started _

_beating a million times per second. I had only one question in my mind…"_

"Who are you?"

"_He wiped away the tear from his face and kept smiling."_

"My name is Ryan... Well, at least it is now."

"H-How do you know that name?" Zack asked.

"It's a name that every one of us knows. It's the name of a hero who save my life along with many others like me."

"_At this point it was clear that this was no ordinary kid. It was then I started understanding what hid behind those eyes. Behind those eyes lived a million little secrets locked away. He sat down in a chair, and then we sat down too. Ryan began telling us a story. His story… Justin's story... And after he finished, he left the hotel with his rich parents and both Zack and me knew that after he drove away, we would never see this kid ever again. The story was unlike anything I ever heard. It was truly unforgettable."_

"My name is Ryan. And at one time, my name was just another number, like Justin.

We met when we were very little. We had the same life and the same master. We lived in the cold, and we were taught to kill. I wasn't exactly as strong or as fast as the other kids but it didn't matter to Justin. No matter what he was told to do, no matter how many times I was left behind to fend for myself, he still came looking for me. We watched each other's back. One night he disappeared. I wondered for the longest time if I would ever see him again. The day he came back, I remember how different everything was about him. It was like he found some secret treasure that nobody else knew about. At night, he told me what he had found. It was you guys."

"_I could feel the emotions welling up inside of me. It was a very meaningful thing to know how much Justin wanted to be with us even though he couldn't be. Ryan could sense it too."_

"He said that there was nothing greater on this planet than finding a family to call your own, and love you for who you are no matter how bad you may seem. At first I thought he was delusional because he had been gone for a while. I thought wherever he was, he got brainwashed and was suffering from the side effects. But soon enough, I started listening to the way he talked about you guys, your mom and your dad. I had never felt all the things he was talking about. Just the way he was talking about it made me feel good inside, and that was different from any feeling I ever had growing up. The more he talked about the things you guys did together, the more I wanted to know. I wasn't the only one that was listening to him that night he came back. All of our brothers and sisters were listening. The more Justin talked, the closer we all gathered. We had bandages and bruises all over us from when we were forced to fight each other earlier, but we felt happy. When he finished his story, he told us that there was so much to life that we were all missing. And that our master had been lying to us since the day we were born. That was the last night I would see Justin. But before he left, he told me that he was going to set us all free. That we would get a chance to feel the same freedom he felt. I didn't understand what he meant at that time, but soon enough, all of these cars and buses pulled up and tried to take us all away. These strange people started wrapping blankets around us as we loaded up. Our first response to something like this is to break away and spread apart. So we did. After turning the buses over and tackling everyone that held us captive, we ran our separate ways and ended up meeting in a field where nobody could find us. And there we all were standing in front of each other. That was when we all came to an agreement. That Justin had set us free because he wanted us to find the freedom that he was talking about. So from that day forth, we all went our ways, in search for the destinies that would eventually come to us all. We were all in hopes of finding the same thing Justin found. Some of us would get lucky, others maybe not. But one thing that was for certain, Justin made it possible for us to choose what we wanted to do with our lives. And this is what I found; people that took me in and called me their child."

"_I was very happy for Ryan. Not everyone got as lucky as he did. I was glad that I got to meet him. I think that it was a good thing that Zack met him too. After all, Justin's heart was beating inside of him now. It was like connecting the final pieces of a puzzle together. Then Ryan smiled."_

"I don't even know what to do with all of this stuff they gave me. All I know is that they love me. And I owe that all to Justin."

"_And that was the end of the story. Just as quickly as this kid popped into our lives, he slipped back out never to be seen again. Now here I sit in my room, curled inside a blanket listening to the sound of heavy water drops splash across the windows, wondering what I'm supposed to do with all this emotion that has been splayed across all these papers as evidence of a life gone awry. Fortunately, this has been the last entry I have written. It's been a year now since Justin left. With that year gone, the pain and the heartache must go too. I feel that this kid Ryan finally put some closure in my life. And with that, I can close this book and call it a finished story."_

Cody sat up and pulled the blanket off of him. With the journal in hand, he drops it into a steel trashcan and disables the smoke alarm in the room. He then takes a match, lights it up, and drops it into the can. The papers begin to blacken and the fire starts to rise. The snick snak sounds of flames begin to etch into his brain as a comforting reaffirmation that this story would forever remain a secret. A cup of water douses the flames. Zack had slipped into the room unnoticed. He stood by Cody's side with an empty cup in his hand. The fire had done what it was supposed to do. Zack said nothing, but nodded his head in reassurance. Both of them knew that it was finally over. As a break from the silence, Zack tosses Cody a basketball.

"The guys are waiting downstairs." He said.

Cody just smiles. He then follows Zack out of the room. He takes one last look around the tiny little apartment and closes the door. Inside that place lived a hundred thousand memories. It was truly the suite life of Zack and Cody.

The End

* * *

_Thanks for reading. Now I gotta finish the other story._


End file.
